#merlin had to break all of his promises to arthur

[amariram]

2x06 - 5x13

“It’s too late”

[larluce]

Arthur and Merlin travel back in time without knowing the other is from the future too AU

Tagging @aceauthorcatqueen , @fallenxjas , @smileytrinity ,@lucifertookmyshoe , @an-entity-i-think , @thecornerofbelu , @griffonskies , @odinjm , @cinnabon-sweetroll-tiramisu , @thelady-mary , @bennedict , @nightninjaboy , @st8-of-grace , @star-rie , @error-username-not-available , @dogberryrowan , @jamieweasley13 , @tansyuduri , @tercais , @robynnemrys , @evadne01 , @serasvictoria02 , @hairdryerducks , @hopeaha , @curiously-lazy , @ harriettesthings , @andrealux16 , @wacko-weirdo , @greatdonutenemy , @yougottobekittenme , @anxiousosaurus , @kinkforwings , @someweirdassnamee , @impracticalantlers , @miyriu , @hobipabo

LINKS TO THE OTHER PARTS OF THIS AU HERE: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5 , PART 6 , PART 7 , PART 8 , PART 9 , PART 10 , PART 11 , PART 12 , PART 13 , PART 14 , PART 15 , PART 16 , PART 17 , PART 18 , PART 19 , PART 20 , PART 21 , PART 22 , PART 23 , PART 24 , PART 25 , PART 26 (You're here), PART 27

In the throne room.

Gaius: (enters and bows) Sire.

Uther: (At a table, offers him to sit next to him) It have come to my attention your ward is now quite popular above the people.

Gaius: I'm guessing you're referring to The Unicorn Catcher song, Sire?

Uther: (nods and sighs) Did you bring some of your concoction? (rubs his temples)

Gaius: (pulls out a little bottle from his pocket and starts mixing it with the drink Uther has already there) Sire, you don't really believe Merlin crossed pats with a unicorn, right? Because I can assure you-

Uther: Whether it's true or not is not really the problem.

Gaius: ... What?

Uther: If it's a lie, then that boy did a marvelous job to create himself a reputation portraying as a saint. If it's true, then he's been tempting my son with his virginity! I don't know which option is worst to be honest! This seductive demon-! (his eye tics)

Gaius: Drink. (gives him his drink) Just to get this straight, you aren't worry about the unicorn at all then, Sire?

Uther: (drinks it all in one go) Why would I worry about a horse with a horn wandering in the woods when the actual danger is here between the walls of this castle in the body of a peasant boy?! (stands up abruptly and looks at his vase frustrated) This thing isn't strong enough! (throws it away and Gaius flinches when it breaks) I know his kind, he gained my son's favor so when he becomes King he will turn him into his puppet king, or worst, he wants my son to make him regent so he'll have all the power! This boy is going to steal my kingdom!

Gaius: Sire, I promise you, Merlin is not that kind of person.

Uther: Really? Explain to me then why he dared to humiliate my son infront of his Knights? Tell me how that wasn't him showing off how much influence he has over the Prince of Camelot!

Gaius: (sighs, thinking) Of course he learned about that too. (says) Merlin is impertinent, I won't deny that, but he's not ambicious. In fact, if Merlin indeed encountered unicorn, that in itself would be prove of that. These magical creatures don't only feel attracted to the pureness in body, but the pureness in heart too. If Merlin had any malice in his heart it wouldn't have aproached him at all.

Uther: Oh, please! Why else would that boy humiliate himself to accept the affections of a man if not for his lust for power?

Gaius: Didn't it occur to your Majesty that for Merlin that's not an humiliation at all.

Uther: (frowns, confused) What do you mean?

Gaius: Well, Merlin has never showed any interest in girls, Sire. And, his status as prince aside, Arthur is a very handsome and attractive man. He also posseses very good qualities as a person. He's compassionate, brave, just, a very chivalrous man-

Uther: Are you trying to tell me that your ward is actually in love with my son?

Gaius: With all due respect, Sire, is pretty obvious that Arthur's feelings are not one sided. But you've been so absorbed in only thinking the worst of Merlin since he came here that you haven't realise that! I know my ward. He can be too dense and insolent for his own good, yes, but he's not a greedy person, much less a villain whose porpuse is to conquer an entire kingdom. He wouldn't even think of it. Merlin's heart is incapable of any evil.

Guard 1: (enters and bows) Your Majesty, Sir Silfred is here. He says he has important news for you.

Uther: Let him in.

Silfred: (enters and bows) Sire.

Uther: I'm hoping there's been a progress in your investigation.

Silfred: We still couldn't find any traces of Lady Sophia and Lord Aulfric, Sire. Not of them specifically at least. But we did find some dry blood stains deep in the woods.

Uther: They could be of anybody.

Silfred: That's what we thought. But then we found this nearby. (pulls out a purple neckerchief) It has stains of blood too. (gives it to Uther) Does it look familiar to you, Sire?

Gaius: (pales)

Uther: (analysing the fabric, icy calmed) It does... Thank you, Sir Silfred. You're dismissed.

Silfred: (bows and leaves)

Uther: (turns to Gaius) Your boy can be all chaste, Gaius, but he's definitely not pure hearted. He's evil in his very soul! And this is the prove! (throws the neckerchief at Gaius, who catches it in reflex) I knew something was off when Aulfric and Sophia dissapeared so suddenly and now I know why! He murdered them! He knew Sophia would be an obstacle for his plans so he got rid of her!

Gaius: (composes enough and stands up, firmly) I think you're running to conclusions, Sire.

Uther: Don't protect him, Gaius! Or are you going to deny this is his?

Gaius: It looks similar to the ones Merlin uses, yes, but Merlin is not the only person in Camelot that wears neckerchiefs.

Uther: True, but what about a purple one? Only royalty can afford purple fabric and there are only two royals in Camelot. And neither Arthur nor I wear this type of clothing. But we do know who likes to give expensive gifts to a certain servant.

Gaius: Even if it was Merlin's, we can't really be sure the blood is from Sophia and her father. You said it yourself, sire, it could be from anybody.

Uther: You dare to contradict me!

Gaius: All I'm saying is that in a court that wouldn't be enough prove to condem a person.

Uther: (yells) I am the King and therefore the judge and I say this is prove enough!

Gaius: (yells back) And would it be prove enough for Arthur?

Uther: ...

Gaius: (composes himself) I just fear, Sire, that if you condem Merlin based only on this evidence, Arthur won't accept it.

Uther: (sighs) I'm not naive enough to believe that Arthur doesn't know about this.

Gaius: (a bit nervous) What... what do you mean, Sire?

Uther: Sir Silfred is the best at finding traces and yet he could only find this piece of clothing and some blood stains. Even the smartest and strongest men can't hide a body that well in such short amount of time, let alone a skinny peasant boy. There's only one posible explanation.

Gaius: That he didn't do it?

Uther: That he had help! And not from other than my son, nonetheless! If Arthur's already, not only favoring, but covering him, we're doomed! that boy could even murder me and Arthur would let him!

Gaius: (thinking, worried) He's not stupid. It's incredible that he discovered what happened with so little clues, but his level of paranoia is worrying. He's right, but he's SO wrong at the same time. (says in a soothing voice) Merlin is no murderer, Sire. But even if he was, Arthur would never allow something like that, no matter how much he loves Merlin. You're not only his king, you're his father.

Uther: (grunts)

Gaius: But if you are so worried about my ward, Sire, why don't you talk to him?

Uther: (in disbelief) Talk?

Gaius: If you could take the opportunity to properly talk to him, maybe you'd realize he is not the person you believe him to be, Sire. Now you have this bad image of Merlin, but you haven't actually bother to know him.

Uther: Of course I haven't bother. He's a servant.

Gaius: But you fear the influence of said servant, Sire.

Uther: ...

Gaius: It's just a suggestion, Sire.

Uther: (sighs) Fine. (calls out) Guards!

Guards: (enter)

Uther: Bring the Prince's manservant here inmediatly.

Guards: Yes, Sire. (bow and leave)

Gaius: You could have sent me for him.

Uther: So you warn him in advance? No, I want to see his genuine reaction when a question him about this. (takes the neckerchief from Gaius' hands)

Gaius: Wait...you're going to interrogate him, Sire? 😨. That's not what I meant with "talking"!

Uther: I'm giving him a chance to defend himself, so be grateful.

Gaius: Of course I am, Sire. (thinking) Gods help me! Merlin please deny that neckerchief is yours!

Short time skip.

Merlin: (enters, confused but chill) Did you call for me, Sire?

Uther: You're talking to your King.

Merlin: I know.

Uther: Then why aren't you bowing?

Merlin: Oh, sorry. (bows quickly) Did you call for me, Sire?

Gaius: (facepalms internally)

Uther: I did call you. I have a very important matter to discuss with you.

Merlin: (more confused) Me?

Uther: (turns to Gaius) You are dismissed.

Gaius: (pleades) Sire-

Uther: Do as I say.

Gaius: (sighs) Yes, Sire. (bows and leaves)

Merlin: (starts worrying) What's... going on?

Uther: (about to pull out the neckerchief to start the interrogation) You-

Arthur: (enters and smiles politely) Sorry I'm late. What's the matter at hand?

Uther: I didn't call for you.

Arthur: But you call for Merlin and anything that concerns my manservant concerns me.

Merlin: (hisses) Arthur!

Arthur: (ignores him, but walks a few steps forward to be infront of Merlin) So, what is it that you want to discuss with my manservant so urgently, father? (keeps talking and smiling politely, but somehow he also sounds threatening)

Uther: (thinking) This won't work if Arthur is here. The boy will be confident he'll come to his aid. (says) I was just wondering if you knew anything about this song that's beeen circulating around lately.

Merlin: (nervous and blushing) You mean the Unicorn Catcher song, Sire?

Arthur: You called my manservant here just because of a tavern song? You must know that story is nothing but the product of some minstrel's imagination.

Uther: I'm very aware of that, Arthur. But that song is tainting your reputation.

Merlin: (sighs in relief, though still confused) But the song hardly mentions Arthur.

Uther: It mentions him enough. Now it's a song and then, last I thing I know, everyone in Camelot is saying that The Prince only takes young virgin boys to bed.

Merlin: (blushes more furiously, feeling humiliated)

Arthur: (notices and swallows his anger for the hiding insult to Merlin in Uther's words)

Uther: (to Merlin, aproaching) So, if you had anything to do with that song...

Arthur: (puts himself between Merlin and his father) It was Sir Ewan and Sir Innprudence who spreaded the rumor, father. Merlin had nothing to do with that. I already got them arrested for talking nonsense while drunk and causing all this mess, so you don't have to worry.

Uther: I did hear they were arrested. (sighs) That's all I wanted to know. You're dismissed.

Arthur and Merlin: (bow and leave)

Uther: (thinking) I need to find I way to get that boy alone, but how?

Time skip. Merlin, Gaius and Lancelot in Gaius' Tower.

Merlin: He found what?! 😨

Gaius: Your neckerchief, Merlin. And with stains of blood. So it doesn't look good.

Merlin: But that's impossible! Lancelot burned all the clothes!

Lancelot: I thought I did. But it was dark, maybe it fell while I was carrying the pile. (very guilty) I'm so sorry Merlin, I should've been more careful.

Merlin: Don't be. You saved Arthur's life and we didn't have much time.

Gaius: Uther won't arrest you, I convinced him to give you a chance to defend yourself. So when he calls for you again you just have to deny that neckerchief is yours and show him you are not the villain he built in his head.

Merlin: I need to tell Arthur. (makes a move to leave)

Gaius: (stops him) No! Uther wants to interrogate you alone, if you tell him he will sneak in again.

Merlin: I'll tell him not to go.

Lancelot: And you think he'll listen?

Merlin: I don't know. But he was involved in this too and I won't lie to him more than I need to. (leaves)

Gaius: Wait, Merlin! There's something else I need to tell you. Merlin! (makes a move to go after him)

Lancelot: (stops him) Tell me and I'll give him the message. I'll get to him faster.

Meanwhile, in Morgana's chambers. Arthur and Morgana having some kind of tea party, while Gwen braids Morgana's hair.

Morgana: (laughing) You men are so inmature.

Arthur: I was not inmature. He hit me first, I just defended myself.

Mogana: And then you fighted over who was Merlin's best friend. Yeah, very mature.

Gwen: I thought I was Merlin's best friend (pouts)

Morgana: You are his best GIRL friend.

Gwen: (mocking) So that means you are not his best girl friend?

Morgana: (plays along) How dare you! I'll fight you! (makes silly fighting movements)

Arthur: (complains) Stop it! (but can't help but laugh)

Merlin: (enters sudenly)

Morgana: Merlin! Knock first! I could be changing my clothes.

Arthur: Now you know what I have to endure everyday (looks at Merlin expression and frowns, worried) Merlin, what is it? (stands up and goes to him) Did something happen?

Merlin: Arthur-

Guard 1: (interrupts) Sire, The King wants you to interrogate a sorcerer in the dungeons.

Morgana: (feels mad and sad for what's probably going to be another unfair execution, but doesn't say anything)

Arthur: (notices) Lets discuss this outside.

Merlin, Arthur and Guards: (Get out of Morgana's chambers)

Arthur: (closes the door behind him) Can't it wait?

Guard 2: I fear not. It's a very dangerous sorcerer, we had to put him in cold iron, so the King wants to execute him as soon as possible. But he also wants to get as much information he can from him. Apparently he was the leader of a group of renegate soreceres.

Arthur: I understand. (to Merlin) We'll talk later. (makes a move to leave)

Merlin: (makes a move to go with him)

Arthur: (stops him) Merlin, no. Stay. I have to do this alone. (thinking) I don't want you to see that, nor do I want to put you in danger.

Merlin: You can't stop me. (thinking) Like I'm going to let you alone with a dangerous sorcerer!

Arthur: (sighs) Merlin-

Lancelot: (arrives running) Merlin! (takes a breath) By the Gods, you run fast. (bows to Arthur) Sire, I'm sorry, but Gaius needs Merlin urgently.

Arthur: (releaved) It's alright, Lancelot. I have urgents matters to attend too. (follows the guards and leaves)

Merlin: (about to leave but Lancelot stops him) Let go of me! 😡 Arthur is about to interrogate a dangerous sorcerer I need to be there! Whatever urgency Gaius has can wait!

Lancelot: There's no dangerous sorcerer.

Merlin: (stops struggling) ...What?

Lancelot: There is no dangerous sorcerer and there is no urgency. That's what Gaius wanted to explain to you. Is part of the plan.

Merlin: The plan? What plan?

In the dungeons. Arthurs goes with the guards to a cell, but finds it empty.

Arthur: Where's the prisoner?

Guards: Here. (push Arthur inside quickly and close the cell)

Arthur: (stands up, furious) What do you think you are doing?! 😡

Guard 1: (very apologetically) Forgive us, Sire. It was King's orders.

Arthur: Why did my father order you to lock me up in the dungeons?! I'm not strange to this punishment, but normally I know WHY I'm being punished.

Guard 1: This is no punishment, Sire. Your Majesty just doesn't want you to interfere in... some matters.

Guard 2: It will be just for a couple of hours, Sire. You don't have to worry.

Arthur: Interfere? Why would I... (pales and shouts) Merlin!

Meanwhile in the throne room.

Uther: Has the prince been brought to the dungeons.

Guard 3: Yes, Sire.

Uther: Perfect. Now bring the boy.

...

Finally we get back to the request list!

Arthur has to protect Merlin from his dad ☑︎

An he will continue to do it for the next parts because this shit is far from over!

What do you think is going to happen?

What was the hiding insult in Uther's words the Arthur catched?

Also, credits to my best friend Rosangela, who helped me with some dialogues and situations, no only in this part, but several ones. Love you so much! ❤️

[loopstagirl]

Words

For @Febuwhump day 24: Forced to beg

@thepolomonkey In response to your request :) Hope you like it.

TW: Torture

-x-

“They’re coming.” 

“Already?” Merlin groaned. He looked up. He was sitting against the back wall of their cell, the damp stones seeping through his shirt. He’d stopped noticing a while ago. The whole place was damp and at least the wall held him up. His entire body ached with the latest beating. 

Arthur gave him a rueful smile. “Doesn’t time fly?” 

Merlin shook his head. He hauled himself up, joining Arthur by the bars. 

“I won’t let them take you.” 

“You don’t have a choice,” Arthur said, sharply. “They cannot find out about your magic. No matter what.” 

“Do you think I care?” Merlin lifted a hand, his thumb gently brushing the bruising on Arthur’s cheek. There was a split there that he was careful not to touch, remembering the ring on Cendred’s hand when he’d struck. 

“I care,” Arthur said. He caught Merlin’s hand and drew it away, but held on. “You’ve seen those sorcerers he has under his control. That cannot happen to you.” 

“I’m stronger than that,” Merlin scoffed.  

His heart had picked up at just the thought of the enslaved sorcerers though. Abject misery lined their expressions and they winced in pain every time Cendred directed them to use their power. However he’d enslaved them, they didn’t have a choice in it. He hoped he was too powerful, but understood Arthur’s fear. If he wasn’t, if Cendred found out and enslaved him, Camelot – and Arthur – wouldn't stand a chance. 

“Promise me,” Arthur said. Merlin could hear the footsteps heading towards them now 

“I-,” 

“Merlin. Promise me.” Arthur’s voice was low and urgent. “I can’t protect Camelot against you.” 

Merlin couldn’t decide if that was flattering or not. He swallowed. 

“I promise.” 

He hated it. All it would take was a spell. They’d be out of here and safe. Apart from then Cendred would know about his power. He wanted to destroy Arthur as it was. The fact that they were in this cell was testimony to that. He’d either come after them to obtain Merlin’s magic for himself or he’d start letting rumours spread. It wouldn’t take long for them to reach Uther. Either way, it would mean a death sentence. 

Four guards came into view. One of them had a set of manacles over his shoulder and a sneer on his face as he pulled the keys from his belt. 

“Our king wants to see you, Your Highness.” 

Merlin’s hands gripped the bars tighter. Arthur tried to push him back, but Merlin clung on. 

“He’s not going anywhere with you.” 

“And what’s a scrawny runt like you going to do about it?” The guarded nodded and his companions all pulled their weapons. Two had swords, the third drew a wicked dagger. 

“Merlin.” 

He ignored the warning in Arthur’s tone. 

“You can’t take him.”  

Every time Arthur was dragged from his sight, he reappeared with more injuries. Merlin knew what they were doing: they were doing it to him as well. Hiding his magic was hard enough; they hadn’t been able to hide their relationship. Cendred wanted to break Arthur and he’d soon realised that physical pain wasn’t going to do it. He’d instead turned to Arthur’s more obvious weakness. Merlin. And the warlock hated it. 

The guards unlocked the door. The one with the knife instantly grabbed the prince, his blade at Arthur’s throat. The two with the swords kept them levelled at Merlin’s chest, holding him back, while the fourth shackled Arthur’s hands. 

The two forced Merlin to the back of the cell. Biting his lip, Merlin felt his magic rising in him. It didn’t seem to care what he had just promised, not while watching Arthur be manhandled out of the cell. He stepped forward, tip of one sword pricking through his shirt, eyes burning in defiance. 

“Merlin,” Arthur called. “Stand down.” 

The guards sniggered at that. 

“Stand down,” one scoffed. “Like a gust of wind wouldn’t break this twig.” 

“What does that make your king then?” Merlin shot back. “He hasn’t broken me yet, has he?” 

He knew he shouldn’t say it. But anything to get their attention away from Arthur. It wasn’t the first time he’d tried it but it was the first time it worked. 

“Bring him,” their leader snapped. “The king will understand.” 

They moved too quickly. With a forceful shove, Arthur was pushed back into the cell. He tried to lunge forward, but his original captor shadowed him, the knife back against his throat so close that Merlin could see a bead of blood glimmer on the blade even as Arthur craned his head back to try and avoid the edge. 

The other two sheathed their swords in a movement that would’ve been impressive if they then hadn’t grabbed Merlin’s arms, wrestling him out of the cell. Although he tried to dig his heels, the guards did have a point that he didn’t have a lot of physical strength to resist them. As the cell door clanged shut and the key was turned, Arthur lunged forward. He tried reaching through but the chains on his wrists prevented him. 

“Leave him alone!” 

“Should’ve taught him better manners, princeling,” one sneered.  

Merlin craned his head back as he was dragged out. Arthur had slumped against the bars, one hand gripping on. His defeated look made his magic surge but as if Arthur sensed that, he suddenly straightened. His bearing was once again that of a prince as he stared after them. 

“You promised, Merlin,” he called, his tone warning. 

Merlin shoved his magic away, and nodded. 

He let them bundle him out of the cell. The corridors were familiar now after being dragged along them multiple times over the last week. 

“Your king isn’t going to want me,” Merlin told them, trying not to wince at the harsh grip on his wrists. “I’m just a servant.” 

“A servant of Camelot?” 

“Obviously.” Merlin frowned at the man. It was a strange statement to make but the guard didn’t elaborate, only chuckled. They all quickened their pace and Merlin almost tripped trying to keep up. He focused on walking. There was no way he was letting them physically drag him there. 

It wasn’t a torture chamber they took him to this time. It was the throne room. Large, empty and cold. Merlin had never thought that Uther’s audience chamber was welcoming, but it was compared to this. 

They threw him on his knees just as a side door opened and Cendred strode in.  

Merlin had seen him a few times since being here. Usually, Cendred was showing off how he had magic at his disposal. If he was trying to scare Arthur, he hadn’t succeeded. The prince was used to magic now. But it had made Merlin’s blood boil seeing those helpless men and women chained to his will. 

The king blinked. 

“I wanted the prince.” 

“This one insulted you,” the guard reported. “Given the information we found yesterday, we thought-,” 

“Ah.” Cendred moved to his throne and sat on it languidly. While Arthur let duty practically crush him, Cendred looked as if being king was an inconvenience. “Yes. You did well. You two, leave us.” 

Two of the guards bowed their heads and left the room. Merlin straightened up, eyeing the two that remained. 

“You’ll never break Arthur,” he began, voice firm.  

“Is that so?” Cendred eyed him lazily. “I admit he has held for longer than I expected. I knew the beatings wouldn’t break him, but I thought beating you might. He’s more cold-hearted than he realised.” 

“Or he knows I’m stronger than that,” Merlin shot back. He could take the pain. He’d suffered enough of it ever since stepping foot in Camelot. While things were different now, for so long, he’d gone through it without anyone knowing. This time, Arthur was seeing his pain, holding him through it back in their cell, and it just strengthened Merlin’s resolve that he could bite his tongue through this just like through all those other occasions. 

“Perhaps,” Cendred mused. “But it does make me think I’m on the right track. Break you, and I break him.” 

Merlin lifted his chin defiantly. “You can try.” 

Merlin had to force himself not to flinch when the king snapped his fingers and the door opened again. He hated this. The two guards who’d previously left reappeared, dragging Arthur between them. 

His hands were still shackled and they’d tied a piece of cloth around his mouth. At Cendred’s command, they hooked the chain to a piece of rope, and pulled. Arthur grunted as his arms were pulled above his head, but didn’t make a sound when his feet left the floor. 

“What’re you doing?” Merlin muttered. The guard behind him had his hands firmly on Merlin’s shoulders, keeping him down. 

“You can take a beating,” Cendred shrugged. “So can he.” 

He made a gesture at one of the guards. To Merlin’s horror, they uncoiled a whip from their belt. 

“But can you watch him take it?” 

Merlin tried to stand, but the guard shoved him back down. Arthur momentarily closed his eyes, but when he opened them again, they blazed. Not with magic the way Merlin’s would, but with defiance. He lifted his chin and fixed his gaze straight ahead. 

Cendred didn’t like that. He nodded at the guard, who drew the whip back, before slashing it forward. A muscle in Arthur’s jaw throbbed but if he did make a sound, it was lost in the gag. 

By the fourth blow, Merlin thought he might be trembling more than Arthur. 

“You can beg me,” Cendred said casually. “Beg me to stop, and I shall.” 

Merlin looked at Arthur. What was his pride in comparison to Arthur’s pain? But the prince was staring straight back at him, and shook his head very deliberately. He could handle it. If Arthur could handle the pain, then Merlin wouldn’t dishonour him by begging. 

He lifted his own chin. 

“Never.”  

He kept his gaze locked on Arthur’s while the whipping continued. He didn’t flinch, he bit back the yell building in his throat, and he did his prince the courtesy of not looking away. Arthur kept his gaze locked on Merlin’s, as if it was anchoring him through it. Neither of them made a noise until Arthur suddenly went slack in his chains. 

Cendred sighed, as if disappointed. 

“Take them back,” he commanded, “we’ll try again tomorrow.” 

Merlin didn’t resist as he was hauled to his feet. He didn’t tear his eyes away from Arthur as they were escorted back to the cells. The prince was still limp when they were thrown in and the door locked behind them. Merlin waited until the footsteps faded away before his eyes flashed and the manacles burst open and he tore the gag away. 

“Arthur,” he breathed, carefully rolling the man onto his front, cushioning his head on his leg. Arthur’s eyes were shut, his face pale, but Merlin’s gaze was fixated on the blood seeping through the torn tunic. He had nothing to treat him with here, nothing he could do apart from... 

Checking no one was about to walk in on them, he rested his hand atop Arthur’s head and let the magic flow from him. He’d never mastered healing, but he knew how to ease pain. He wasn’t imaging it when Arthur’s breathing came a little easier. 

Even once Arthur regained consciousness, neither of them spoke. There wasn’t anything to say that they hadn’t said a hundred times since being thrown in this cell. The night passed in silence but when the first rays of sun filtered into the cell, footsteps could be heard again. 

Merlin instinctively drew Arthur closer. 

“You promised,” Arthur said softly. “Merlin, you promised me.” 

“I can’t let them hurt you again.” 

“He won’t kill me. There’s no satisfaction in that. He wants to use me against my father: he needs me alive. Broken, but alive. While you stay strong, there’s nothing he can do to me that will break me.” 

“So it’s all on me?” 

“You always said I underappreciate you,” Arthur said with a trace of a smirk as he pushed himself upright. Merlin cupped his cheek. 

“Don’t ask this of me.” 

“I’m not.” Arthur took a deep breath. “I’m ordering it.” 

“Arthur-,” 

The footsteps were getting closer. 

“Put the manacles back on.” 

“No. I won’t!” 

“They can’t know about the magic. Put them on, Merlin, or so help me, I’ll do it myself.” 

Arthur moved towards them as if he was about to do exactly that. Merlin’s hand was shaking as he picked them up. 

“I’ll do it,” he whispered. “I’ll beg. It doesn’t bother me. You’ll know it’s fake, that I’m not broken. It’s just words.” 

“No, Merlin. Don’t let him take your pride. I’m not worth that.” 

“You’re worth everything,” Merlin whispered fiercely. But before he could say anything else, the same four guards came into view. 

They took them both at once this time. While Arthur’s hands were chained, they didn’t bother gagging him. Merlin had a horrible feeling it was because Cendred wanted to hear him scream. 

In no time at all, they were back in the same position: Arthur strung from the rope; Merlin on his knees; Cendred lounging on his throne. The king eyed Arthur. 

“Interesting. I thought seeing him hurt would’ve broken you.” 

“I’m stronger than I look,” Merlin retorted. 

“Yes, yes, so we’ve established. Or maybe the prince just isn’t your weak spot?” 

Merlin didn’t say anything. He just watched Cendred coolly. 

“I’ve heard of you, you know, Merlin.” 

Merlin jolted. It felt wrong to hear his name on Cendred’s lips. He hadn’t been aware that the enemy king had even known it. 

“How you pledge your loyalty to Camelot, to Arthur. It’s a shame your loyalty is so cheap.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Merlin asked. He’d have thought the last week would’ve shown Cendred just how loyal he was. 

“Well.” Cendred sat forward, sneering. “You’re not a citizen of Camelot, are you? Ealdor falls in my realm. I am your king, Merlin. Your loyalty should first and foremost be to me.” 

Merlin froze. How had Cendred found out where he was from? He glanced at Arthur, who looked just as shocked as he did. He’d been in Camelot for years, he’d long considered the castle his home. 

“You have never been, nor ever will be, my king,” Merlin spat. 

“Maybe.” Cendred looked unconcerned by his tone. “But I’m her king.” 

He nodded, and the side door opened. A woman was shoved through, her hands loosely bound in front of her, her dress torn and dirty and a scarf covering her hair.  

Merlin would know her anywhere. 

“No,” he breathed. The guard’s grip on his shoulders tightened painfully, but that didn’t stop Merlin struggling against the hold. 

The woman was pushed to her knees. The guard seized the scarf – and her hair, if the cry was anything to go by – and wrenched her head back. 

“Mother,” Merlin whispered. 

Hunith looked at him. Her lip was split and her eye bruised, but it was the look of shock and incomprehension that tugged at Merlin’s heart more. 

“She has nothing to do with this, let her go!” 

He made it to a crouch this time before he was slammed back down. 

“Threatening innocents, Cendred? You’re not fit to be a king!” Arthur shouted. But Cendred idly waved a hand and the cloth was shoved back into Arthur’s mouth. 

“This does not concern you, princeling. These are my subjects to do with as I see fit.” 

“Don’t you dare touch her!” 

Merlin knew he’d promised Arthur. He knew. And he knew the consequences if Cendred found out about his magic. But damnit, he couldn’t do nothing! The power rose within him and-, 

“Merlin.” 

Her voice was soft and gentle, despite their environment.  

“Merlin, look at me.” 

He obeyed, looking into his mother’s wide eyes.  

“It’s alright, my love,” she said softly. 

Her look was too knowing. She knew what he was about to do. Maybe she knew about Cendred’s sorcerers, maybe she just didn’t want him to lose himself to the rage currently flooding through him. Either way, he knew what she was telling him: don’t use magic. No matter what. The same thing she’d been trying to teach him his entire life. 

The magic settled just a little. It had always listened to her teachings, ever since he was small. As if the magic itself was separate from him, but also recognised his mother. 

Cendred got off his throne. He sauntered towards her, taking her chin between thumb and forefinger. 

“Pretty,” he said casually. “Wonder if I still think the same once she’s been whipped.” 

He turned away. The men seized Hunith, lifting her bound hands and securing them the same as Arthur’s, although her feet remained on the floor. One drew a knife, slicing through the back of her dress. 

“Leave her alone!” 

“You know how to stop this,” Cendred said lazily. “I told you yesterday.” 

“No.” 

“Very well. Continue.”  

The guard passed over the whip, still stained with Arthur’s blood. Merlin’s breath came in a trembling gasp. He could see Arthur fighting his restraints out of the corner of his eye, but this wasn’t the prince’s fight. Not this time. 

“Don’t.” The word escaped him as a gasp. 

The man drew the whip back. 

“Don’t!” He was hyperventilating, staring up at Cendred. Words. That’s all it was. Just words. He wasn’t broken. He wasn’t. It was just words.  

“Excuse me?” 

“Please,” Merlin whispered. His gaze found the ground, his head bowed. Let Cendred make of that what he will. “Please. Don’t. Don’t hurt her. I... I beg you.” 

Tears swimming in his eyes, he glanced first at his mother, then Arthur. They were only words. 

But it felt more than that as Cendred leapt of his throne. 

“Very good, Merlin,” he said in a silky voice. ”You can be reasonable.” 

He gestured to the guards. “Take them back to the cells. Mother and son need a little time together while I have a chat with our prince here.” 

“Wha-no!” 

The guard pulled him to his feet, pinning his arms. To his left, his mother was being cut down, pulled towards him. To his right, Cendred was stalking towards Arthur. 

Arthur. Arthur, who was watching him. Merlin could see the small sad smile behind the gag and the way something in the prince’s eyes flickered. 

He wanted to shout that it was just words. That he hadn’t meant any of it. But as his mother came into reach and he clasped her hand desperately, he wasn’t sure he could say it. He wasn’t sure whether it would be the truth or not. 

Hunith clung to him as they were led down to the cells. Merlin’s head was spinning; he barely noticed when they were thrown in and the door locked. 

“Merlin? Love, look at me?” her bound hands cupped his face, her anxious gaze tracing the bruises that were obvious.  

Merlin did, but to his horror, his eyes were swimming with tears. What had he done? There had been something in Arthur’s gaze that looked akin to acceptance, as if Cendred had been right all along. But Merlin hadn’t broken, he’d just... he’d just... 

“What have I done?” he spluttered. “Arthur-,” 

“Shh,” Hunith soothed. “All will be well. Arthur’s strong.” 

“He is,” Merlin said. “But not when I – not when...” 

He’d begged. He’d done the one thing he swore he’d never do. Not saying the words, he’d already told Arthur they didn’t mean anything. But in that moment, he’d begged, and he’d meant it. And now, looking at his mother trying not to show her fear, he knew he’d do it again. 

“We have to get out of here.” He pushed himself upright, swiping angrily at his face. 

“They cannot know about your magic.” She hurried after him.  

Merlin glanced over his shoulder, checked there were no guards, and snapped her bonds. Gently, he took her hands in his own, massaging her wrists. 

“They should never have come after you,” he said, simply. 

“Merlin, no, listen to me-,” 

But whatever she was about to say was drowned out. The noise was faint, barely audible, but Merlin didn’t just hear it, he felt it in every nerve of his body as Arthur’s scream reached him. 

The prince hadn’t made a sound in any of the beatings so far. He wouldn’t give Cendred the satisfaction. Nothing had changed this time, except... 

“I’ve done this,” Merlin whispered. 

“No-,” 

This was his fault. Not Cendred’s. They’d known all along what Cendred was capable of. Merlin had only agreed to no magic because, deep down, he knew Arthur could take it. It killed him to let his prince suffer, but Arthur would survive. Only now... Now something had cracked, and Merlin knew it was him. 

A hand touched his arm. But when he turned to face his mother, she took a quick step back, hands flying to her mouth. Merlin knew what she could see. Not the familiar blue that her looked back at her for his entire life. But burning gold. 

It was his fault Arthur was screaming. Therefore, it was up to him to get the prince out of this. To get them all out of this. 

If Cendred thought he could control Merlin’s magic, he had another thing coming. Maybe when it was just the two of them, just Arthur telling him to hold it back, that they could get through this, their enemy might have been able to shackle his power. 

But bringing his mother into it? 

Making him beg? 

Using him to break Arthur? 

The lock sparked as Merlin flicked his fingers at it and the door flew halfway across the room.  

Merlin had been afraid in that throne room before. 

Now, he was just pissed. 

[dollopole]

This is no news to anyone, but I’m rewatching Merlin *gasp*, and I noticed that during “The Dark Tower” episode of season five, where Gwen is kidnapped by Morgana, each time, and I bloody swear, because I double checked, each fucking time, Merlin and Arthur interact with each other, and they get on with their mating dance of, “I made you a promise, remember?” and their so not homosexual clasping of their arms, the ‘modified’, if we really have to call it that, theme song “Gwen and Arthur”, the same one they play in the finale, where Merlin and Arthur are on the verge of shagging on the tree branch, where Merlin and Arthur talk heart to heart about their feelings, constantly plays in the background of this episode.

Which. Well. Not surprising, at all.

I just didn’t notice.

They always put it to mask Merthur, in some way, like in this episode, it was Gwen they had to rescue, and everyone felt guilty (because me, personally, I would die and resuscitate a thousand times over, if it meant to save Gwen), so someone would think that’s why the song is in the background, but the scenes where the song actually plays are all between Arthur and Merlin, as if saying, “the love Arthur feels for Gwen, who he risks to lose, is as strong as the one Merlin feels for Arthur, when he sees him at his most vulnerable, and wants to help him, and protect him, and who he doesn’t want to see dead.”

AND ALSO, BECAUSE I’M NOT FINISHED:

rewatch the episode, and tell me if this isn’t the softest way in which Merlin interacts with Arthur.

It bloody is.

“Learn how to knock, will you?” “I apologise, sire.” Merlin did apologise and proceeded to promise Arthur they would have rescued Gwen, and became all touchy with him, while they stared into each other’s eyes, okay.

“I made you a promise, remember? We will bring Gwen home.” And Arthur just looks at him? And stares? And hopes? With a poor third wheeling Elyan too.

“Trust me just this once.” Merlin doesn’t make a fucking joke, he just stares at Arthur (all the knights third wheeling, give these men a break from the obvious Merthur) and Arthur gazes back at him and once he understands Merlin actually knows where to go, he clasps his shoulder (just kiss him, will you?) and asks him “Where now?”

They’re so gentle with each other in this episode, my heart can’t take it.

Bonus:

there’s also a wild Arthur sleeping, while he hugs Gwen, and he looks so soft.

[seriouslysam8]

Can you give us a snippet of Selcouth? I promise to send you some inspiration!

Ask and you shall receive…

Having successfully made it to their box without any issues, Harry foolishly believed that leaving would be just as easy. He swung James up in his arms, the little boy bouncing and yelling at the top of his lungs about winning the game. Harry only smiled as he waited for everyone to gather their things to leave. He couldn’t wait to go down to the locker rooms and wait outside for Ginny to appear. Ron told him he had plenty of time to make it there to meet her. Harry and James needed to be the first people to congratulate her. It only seemed right.

But all of that shattered upon leaving the box. Camera flashed. Reporters screamed out questions. James buried his face into the crook of Harry’s neck, his arms tightening into a death hold. There were so many flashing lights that Harry felt disoriented, his hand pressing steadily against James’ head so he wasn’t subjected to the assault of light.

“Move!” Sirius roared, shouldering his way through the Weasleys to stand in front of Harry. “Get the fuck back!”

Nobody listened to him. Nobody cared to. The cameras kept flashing without any break. Despite the shouts of questions rapid firing in Harry’s direction, he could still hear James sobbing in his arms. It was unbearable, his chest constricting as he squinted through the assault of flashes.

Someone threw a blanket over James, hiding him completely from view, but Harry couldn’t even see who it was. All he could see was phosphenes overtaking his vision.

His heart quickened, his body stiffening as he only tightened his grip around James. Never had he experienced such a media frenzy before. It was ludicrous to think that anyone cared so much about him of all people. But hadn’t this been what Sirius had warned him of? Merlin, he had assumed Sirius was being his normal paranoid self. It made Harry sick to realize that he wasn’t exaggerating.

Fingers wrapped around his arm. Harry jerked away from the contact, sharp nails dragging across his skin. Someone screamed. A moment later, Sirius’ woodsy smell invaded his senses as he wrapped an arm around him. Harry kept his head down, pressing against the soft fabric of the blanket around James. He looked at his feet as the Aurors huddled around them, ordering the reporters to move.

There were plenty of times over the years that Harry wished he had grown up in England. He had imagined the childhood he would have had with Dora and spending tons of his time with the Tonks family. Sometimes, he imagined finding his dad’s and Sirius’ initials carved into the wood of sixth year boys�� dormitory beds. Recently, he thought about being friends with Ron since he was eleven and meeting Ginny a lot earlier. For the first time he could remember, he was glad Sirius had taken him out of England. He couldn’t imagine his entire childhood splashed across the front pages of the papers and having his picture taken without his consent constantly.

Somehow, someway, Harry had to ensure that James wasn’t subjected to this attention again. He’d definitely have to take some plays out of Sirius’ rulebook, because he had avoided this for Harry’s entire life.

Though disappointed, Harry didn’t wait for Ginny outside of the locker room. He made his way to the first apparition point he could find and went home. Ron stayed at the stadium so he could tell Ginny what happened. Molly and Arthur headed back to Harry’s houses with him, Sirius, and James.

Sighing, Harry collapsed on his sofa, cuddling James on his lap. The kid wasn’t crying anymore, but he still seemed quite shaken by the experience. Harry only felt miserable.

“Say it,” Harry said, looking up at a pacing Sirius.

Sirius stilled, his attention turning towards Harry. “Say what?”

“I told you so,” Harry replied.

“I find no joy in being right about this, kid,” Sirius told him flatly, his hands pressing against his hips. “You have no idea how badly I wanted you to be right that I was being a paranoid git.”

“It’d have to die down eventually, wouldn’t it?” Molly asked, fiddling with her necklace.

“There’s twenty-two years of information they want to know about,” Sirius replied bitterly.

“What if I give it to them?” Harry asked, running his fingers through James’ soft hair. “I could sit down and give an interview and tell them everything they want to know. I could use that platform to take down Reynolds and Genevieve Hospital.”

Sirius sucked in a breath.

“What? I may as well use this for some good,” Harry argued, his jaw feathering. “I can focus a lot on my work and bring awareness to my research on blood maledictions and dragon pox too.”

“No offense, Harry, but that’s not what the masses want to know about you,” Sirius replied, his eyes dropping down to a very still James.

Harry let out a huff of air, his head shaking.

[cynthia39100]

Merlin rewatch -- S3E4: Gwaine

Arthur's prattiness and princely-ness was in a great balance in this episode I love him so much! He did some mildly annoying things like dragging his reluctant servant around or giving extra chores. He also went to a local tavern undercover because he wanted to get to know his people, and helped chasing away bad guys.

--And he's adorably smug when he thought someone was complimenting him lol. Precious. His cockiness was in his finest this ep.

Canon good master Arthur confirmation!

Again, great balance of a prat and the golden prince. It's annoying that Arthur gave Merlin to Sir Oswald and Sir Ethan saying Merlin like hardwork, but he did assume they were kind people who didn't torture servants.

Another perfect prattish prince expression. Bradley had a way of throwing things. Amazing. He's annoyed (even though he did promised to reward Gwaine) but he didn’t make Merlin pay with money so it's not too bad.

~~~

I wished Arthur--The Best Warrior in Camelot--could put up more of a fight in the bar brawl. He didn’t need to be beaten up all the way through for Gwaine to save him.

Saying that, I do enjoy this angle. With Arthur pushed down on the table and bearing his throat😇

Yes! At least Arthur got a good fight scene in this ep, winning without breaking a sweat, and he let the fake knight keep the money.

I wish Arthur hadn't been damsel-ed (he did knock one down the horse by himself but Merlin dealt with the other and then Gwaine finished both off...). But I do like him being all humble and generous and giving Gwaine the spotlight~ He's always respectful of other's skills~

~~~

Arthur was so diplomatic here, calm, confident, and making use of his social status. Love. Since S2 he hadn't been yell that much if at all. Growth? And Uther actually listened (just a little) to him! I quite like this little nod from Arthur. It made him seem mature and more equal to Uther.

It’s a nice father and son moment, handing down the old sword. Uther still put a lot of pressure on Arthur but Arthur seemed to take it better than in s1. So that’s another nice growth. It’s all in Bradley’s performance. Not sure in the script

I kind of like Arthur’s resigned look when Uther called Gwaine's arrest. He didn't jump up and down and confront Uther right away, just silently dreading another stern talk with Uther. It could be that Uther had dismissed him too many times that he was tired of getting emotional. It could also be a sign of maturity. He learned a more effective and proper way to deal with these situations so he didn't need to hurt himself every time Uther did something outrageous.

[S3E4] [other episodes]

[justaz]

post magic reveal, post magic ban lifted, arthur gets to see merlin in all his glory and somehow falls deeper in love with him than he ever thought possible. merlin who is free and accepted and loved and ecstatic by it all, but there's that thought lingering in the back of his mind that only half of their destiny has been fulfilled. magic has returned to camelot but albion is still fractured in many different kingdoms, many of which are still holding onto the hate that uther spread which is seeping into the very fabric of the earth itself. druids and magic users and even magic creatures are still persecuted all across the realm and yeah camelot opened her arms to them but not everyone trusts it (justifiably).

arthur who is choking on the sheer amount of love he has for merlin and promising himself that he'll tell merlin, he'll confess, even if he feelings aren't reciprocated. merlin will know. merlin who has been chewing on an idea for some time now and is planning on bringing it up to arthur. its night as merlin is dressing arthur for bed and they're both quiet and tense. they break at the same time and end up speaking over one another. arthur allows merlin to go first since his nerves are eating away at him. then merlin speaks of leaving.

arthur feels his nerves rot and decay and fall into a bottomless pit. merlin is rambling about how every magical being in albion is still being targeting by various kingdoms and as the prophesied emrys, magic incarnate, druid king, should he not be doing more to help? he doesn't want to leave arthur's side, but he does want to help his people. he's seen only a fraction of the atrocities committed against them and he wishes to protect them, give them somewhere completely safe, a kingdom of magic so to speak. he promises that he'll only be gone for as long as it takes to establish a kingdom (a year? two? three?) but he promises to write and visit often...as long as arthur gives him permission and allows him to leave his service for the time being.

arthur of course agrees, half unhappy about it but completely understanding. surely, out of everyone, he is the one who can understand the weight of responsibility weighing on merlin's shoulders. he mentions that merlin will need someone with experience wearing the crown to guide him. plus, balance. merlin was always there for arthur, guiding him on how to be a better man, a great king, someone worthy of the praise he constantly spewed. it's only right that arthur gets to return that by helping merlin establish a safe haven and home for his people. and politically, camelot being the first kingdom to recognize merlin's and establish some trade agreement or treaty with them will strengthen merlin's kingdom's status and send a message that camelot stands with magic.

merlin smiles wide and asks what arthur was going to say. the king hesitates before biting his tongue and requesting that merlin bring up the honey cakes that had been prepared earlier that night. two of them. since merlin was no longer in his service, he didn't have to stand by and watch arthur eat - not that he ever did, the idiot loved to steal his food. shamelessly!! he never even tried to hide it. they both sat at the table in his chambers until late in the night, nibbling away at the sweets, chasing it down with wine, and chatting away.

arthur wasn't able to confess, but it did not change his feelings. if anything, merlin's heart and the decision he made only added fuel to the raging inferno of love and devotion within arthur. he knows that merlin will keep in contact and will return to his side one day. he gets through the tough days/nights by rereading merlin's letters and imagining seeing him again in royal garb and donning a crown.

[scifrey]

FANFICTION MASTERPOST

Hob Adherent Series

(The Sandman, extended Gaiman-verse)

Hob Gadling is a clingy bastard, and he’s not ashamed to admit it. He clings to life. He clings to hope. He clings to his love of humanity. He clings to his Stranger. He also, unfortunately, has a habit of clinging to his name.

Which means that when the BBC is looking for a new pet history expert to appear in their educational docudrama series “Elizabethan Manor,” they’re overjoyed to find a professor who (according to their meticulous research) is actually descended from the Master of the National Trust building they’re filming in - Gadlen House.

Only Hob knows how right they are.

Cling Fast

Carpe Diem

Hold Tight 

Keepsakes

The F-Words Series (the Rovai-verse)

(Loki, MCU; based on the art of @alicerovai)

Loki has fallen for false promises, fallen for Odin's lies, fallen off of a bridge, fallen into the wrong hands... can he let himself fall into the arms of a potential rescuer? Or will he just end up falling for another trick?

Fall

Fold 

Fight

Flirt 

Forgive 

To A Stranger

(Sherlock, Performance in a Leading Role by @madlori)

Here - for the first time - is the screenplay for the unexpected and sizzling hit which swept awards shows; was lauded in Time, Variety, and major publications the world over; snagged a Best Actor Oscar for first-time nominee John Watson; heralded a revolution in LQBTQA+ cinema; and was the catalyst for the incredible romantic journey of two of the greatest actors of our generation.

The Heart of the TARDIS

Rose: Feels to me like a temper tantrum because it can't get it's own way.

The Doctor: It's scared. Come on, you were a kid once.

Rose: Yes, and I know what kids can be like. Right little terrors. I've got cousins. Kids can't have it all their own way. That's part of being a family.

The Doctor: What about trying to understand them?

Rose: Easy for you to say. You don't have kids.

The Doctor: I was a Dad once.

Rose: What did you say?

--"Fear Her"

Respected

(Stargate: Atlantis, Torchwood)

Ianto Jones only wanted a nice, quiet beer. And maybe some damned respect, already.

Tobogganing Series

(Stargate: Atlantis, Casper)

When Johnny Sheppard was ten years old, he begged his father for a toboggan for Christmas.

He Kissed Me First 

(Stargate: Atlantis, The Farm in Iowa-verse by @sheafrotherdon)

"Rodnies? Rodneys? Rodni? How do you conjugate the plural?" John wondered.

The Once And Future Kingdom 

(Stargate: Atlantis, Merlin)

"I am Prince Arthur of Camelot!" the boy in the chainmail said. For a small, infinitesimal moment, Rodney considered losing it.

"Right, Prince Arthur, the Prince Arthur," Rodney scoffed instead. "And I'm Merlin."

The dark haired boy that stood a few paces behind his golden Prince cleared his throat. "Uh, no," he said, shifting uneasily from foot to foot, "Actually, I am."

Right, of course. Because this totally was Rodney's LIFE.

The Driver 

(Agent Carter, Captain America, British Royalty RPF)

“What?” Dum Dum asked, prodding his seatmate in the ribs with his meaty elbow for the umpteenth time. “Seriously, Falsy, what?”

“Squirfle,” the Brit said, or something like it. His face, under the mustache, had turned an amusing shade of puce that was rapidly verging on the alarming.

“Yeah, buddy, I know she’s pretty, but she’s just a dame, ain’t she?” Dum Dum said. He jerked his head at their driver. She was just a short brown-blonde coif from the back, though from his position against the side of the transportation jeep, Dum Dum could make out a smooth, pale cheek, an archly-painted eyebrow, and impeccable red lips.

The Nihongo Series

(Stargate: Atlantis)

In Japan, it is not too much to say that a great deal is about appearances. It is a habit cultivated over a life-time, and not one easy to break.

*

This is just a partial list of my most popular fics. Please visit my A03 and FF.NET profiles for the full list of fics.

You can also find a master post of my original fiction here.

[film-in-my-soul]

Promises to Keep | 275 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: Merlin is about to leave on a business trip, but there's one last thing he has to do before he goes.

Duration | 500 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: Everything ached, especially his head where it had collided with a concrete wall, but he was alive and Agravaine was dead, and the need to make sure Merlin was okay was all that had been keeping him going these past three months.

odds are | 515 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: He’s crazy. It’s half past two in the morning and Merlin has officially lost whatever's left of his goddamn mind, but Arthur’s mouth has always been his weakness, hasn’t it, especially when downturned, and Arthur had said, “I wish,” the way that only Arthur could—“I wish I could just find one fucking person who loved me”—and Merlin had thought, I’m right here. Had said, “I’m right here,” maybe, mumbling it into the top of his bottle, the fourth of the evening, and then regretted every decision he had ever made which had led him to this point.

A Promise | 662 | riventhorn

Summary: “I’m here now,” he said, going to stand by Merlin and wrapping his hands around Merlin’s trembling fingers. “I’m here now, Merlin.”

(see more recommendations below!)

and you will be my battlecry | 1,000 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: "I didn't do it for you." “Of course not,” Merlin agreed mildly. “You just happened to challenge him to a duel a few seconds after he hit me. Obviously a total coincidence.”

and you've had your fill of sinking | 1,000 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: To the best of Merlin's knowledge, King Uther had never struck his son, but then, he had never needed to — Arthur had always taken his father's disappointment as grounds for thorough self-flagellation, and he did a far better job of excoriating himself than the king could ever do.

As I Lay Dying | 1,035 | Polomonkey / @thepolomonkey

Summary: He was not afraid to die in some ways. It could not hurt any more than what had already been done to him here. But he was afraid to leave life behind. Leave the kingdom that he had built, the subjects that he dearly loved. Leave Gwen and Morgana and Leon and Gaius. Leave Merlin.

anywhere i would have followed you | 1,073 | helloearthlings

Summary: “Just say something,” he whispered, voice breaking as he gazed over the entirely peaceful shore. “Say something. Say anything.”

and they were workmates (omg they were workmates) | 1,600 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: Merlin and Arthur strike up an awkward Zoom flirtationship during the pandemic. It makes going back to the office interesting, to say the least.

Truth or Dare | 1,800 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged that any party with enough drinking eventually devolves into Truth or Dare. Or. Something like that.

Sanctuary | 2,062 | BeautifulFiction / @the-pen-pot

Summary: 'Did you think I wouldn't notice?' Arthur looked over his shoulder, a wry smile caught on his lips. 'All the things you've done for me, right from the start?' Merlin sees what no one else does: that Arthur Pendragon doesn't need a good servant. He needs a friend who sees not the crown and the power, but the man beneath it all. A man he loves, and who might just love him in turn.

Burn and Shine | 2,485 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Arthur pretends to be Merlin's boyfriend for a night, and they both learn far more than they bargained for.

Lughnasadh | 2,623 | BeautifulFiction / @the-pen-pot

Summary: 'Magic changes.' The words sounded a little slurred on his tongue. Merlin remembered the taste of apples. 'Like the seasons, it changes. So do I.' When Arthur helps Merlin, intoxicated by his changing magic, he realises the truth neither of them have ever dared to put into words.

Wrong Number | 2,771 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: "I promise I will not assume that one successful coffee date means we’re soulmates meant to be together forever.” In which Morgana gets a few things wrong, but Merlin and Arthur get something right. Mostly.

Map Our Escape | 3,017 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Arthur feels tied down and unhappy with his life, so he throws a dart at a map--and ends up in Ealdor.

Damsel in a Phone Booth | 3,053 | Blackwidina

Summary: I was on Tumbler and found this AU prompt: “it’s the middle of the night and i’m walking home alone in the dark and there’s this guy following me and he’s starting to gain on me and i found this phone booth with a lock on the door and i tried to call my best friend but my hands were shaking so badly i accidentally dialed the wrong number and i don’t even know you but help me” au

You're My Passport Home (a Keep the Light On Remix) | 3,442 | ingberry / @ingberry

Summary: Merlin Emrys: love of his life, probably.

The Elephant Jumper | 3,701 | helloearthlings

Summary: "My mum and I had a tradition that whenever one of us was upset or had a bad day, we’d put on the Elephant Jumper and the other had to be nice to them all day and get them whatever they wanted. We would have to ask if we wanted to talk. If the answer was yes, we’d talk. If the answer was no, we’d have to leave them alone for the rest of the night. It was how we bonded. One of the best parts of my childhood.” “So if I put the jumper on,” Arthur said hesitantly after a moment, a smile growing on his face, “you’d have to be nice to me?”

Don't Go Breaking My Heart | 3,800 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Arthur sucks at relationships and Merlin is sick of it.

the course of true love (never did run smooth) | 4,054 | schweet_heart / @schweetheart

Summary: Three times Merlin found and foiled a love charm, and one time he didn't need to.

Something Dumb to Do | 4,595 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: The cardinal rule of being a wedding planner is not falling in love with the bride or groom. Arthur's never had trouble with that rule.

Limerence | 5,352 | BeautifulFiction / @the-pen-pot

Summary: 'The potion in question was, as far as I can tell, of suitable strength to do its job. Merlin's power would have offered him no defence. There is, of course, one universal antidote against any magics that meddle in matters of the heart...' 'Which is?' Arthur demanded, raising his eyebrows. Gaius sighed, casting a tired, apologetic look in Merlin's direction. 'If the target of a love spell is already truly, deeply devoted to someone – if they love another without question or pause – then no spell can take hold.' 'You're saying that it didn't work because Merlin already loves someone?' The words felt thin between his lips, straining to get past the sudden, leaden feeling in his chest. It felt like someone had plunged their hand inside him and caught his heart in the cage of their fist, and Arthur was left breathless as he tried to speak around the awful sensation.

I Need An Adultier Adult to Successfully Adult | 5,406 | Pendragons Dragonlord (PseudoAuthor) / @pseudoauthor1

Summary: The second time he encountered the chemistry teacher AKA Arthur Pendragon, AKA Pratface, AKA Sexy Dude in a Lab Coat, it was because his students were yelling right outside of his class room. Also he's been avoiding Arthur ever since he came back six weeks into term, because well…reasons.

The One Where Arthur Sells Tongue Cuz Being Rich is Hard Life | 5,420 | derryere

Summary: Arthur sells make-out lessons at a boarding school.

Sort of a Tourniquet | 6,231 | Thursday_Next

Summary: Arthur gives Merlin a plastic ring as a joke. But what nobody knows is how much Merlin really likes wearing it. Modern AU with lots of pining.

The Wild Hunt | 6,471 | BeautifulFiction / @the-pen-pot

Summary: 'The Wild Hunt.' 'What?' 'The Wild Hunt are coming.' His voice sounded strange, both Merlin's and not, as if something far older spoke through his lips. The words carried, seeming to drift through the mist, and Arthur saw Gwaine get to his feet, hurrying around the bed-rolls to rouse everyone. 'That's a myth,' Arthur said, trying to ignore the way his heart tripped into a faster beat and his fingers felt fat with panic. 'A story to scare people from wandering too far into the woods at night.' Slowly, Merlin shook his head, seeming to blink back to himself as he struggled free of his bed-roll. 'No, it's not, and tonight, they ride.'

The Boy Next Door | 6,718 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: In which there is pining, Merlin bakes, Arthur borrows batteries he doesn't actually need, and did I mention the pining?

Made of Dreams and Bones | 7,476 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Arthur would have starved that first winter, if it weren’t for Hunith and her son.

Uncharted | 7,836 | BeautifulFiction / @the-pen-pot

Summary: Uther believed in power, gold and riches. Arthur believed in his people, his kingdom, and the idea that good men could make life better for everyone, not just the individual who sat upon the throne. Merlin shows Arthur that magic can save his kingdom in many ways, and Arthur comes to see how there are few in the world who love Camelot and its people as much as he does, except perhaps for the man at his side. Yet will either of them speak of the love that blooms between them, or will they hold their silence?

here is a brighter garden | 9,728 | ingberry / @ingberry

Summary: Arthur's favourite street in his new neighbourhood had these lovely little gardens. Lush, impossibly green and touched by magic. Wanting some of their magic for himself also led Arthur to the man who crafted them.

Isn't It Lovely How Artists Can Capture Us? | 10,762 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Arthur buys a painting at Gaius's antique shop, only to find that the subject is a wizard who's been trapped for over a century.

The Hardest Way Possible | 12,491 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Merlin's addicted to Craigslist, Arthur's looking for love in all the wrong places, and with a little help from their friends, they manage to get it together.

License to Thrill | 14,174 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Merlin's employees bet him the recipe for the most addictive cocoa in the world that he can't find out what the hot blond who comes into his chocolate shop does for a living within the month. He ends up getting far more than he bargained for.

The Gate of Memory | 14,494 | Destina

Summary: Merlin forgets to remember, until the time comes to remember once again.

Deliquesce | 14,612 | BeautifulFiction / @the-pen-pot

Summary: The creatures stepped forward, long, narrow muzzles agape. The sun did not deter them, merely setting their subtle scales agleam. Thick saliva dripped from their jaws, smattering on the ground, yet they did not lunge forward to strike. Instead, they waited, their gaze unblinking as they stared. At first, Arthur thought they watched the knights, but when he shifted his stance, their eyes did not follow him, Instead, it was someone behind him who held them captivated. Merlin.

As Long As We Have We | 17,517 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Arthur thinks he's going to have to spend Christmas alone--at least until he somehow acquires a whole house full of strays.

But It's a Good Refrain | 23,090 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Arthur doesn't care much about the popular radio program Dragon's Lonely Hearts until his ex-girlfriend calls in to slag him off and get advice. When he calls in and has an on-air argument with the host, it starts off more than he expected, including meddling friends, overinvolved fans, and maybe love.

Would You Be Mine, Could You Be Mine | 23,456 | lady_ragnell / @theladyragnell

Summary: Merlin does not want to invite the Prime Minister's son onto his show, even if he is an environmental scientist. Arthur does not want to admit that he has a crush on the star of Merlin's Castle, the most popular children's show in the nation. In which Merlin is Mr. Rogers, there is a bouquet of finger puppets, Freya and Gwaine hooked up years ago and neither of them wants to talk about it, and eventually everything turns out okay.

The Path Of A Pendragon | 32,828 | BeautifulFiction / @the-pen-pot

Summary: 'Magic will love you,' she whispered, pressing both palms to where Arthur lay curled inside her, almost ready, but not quite. 'With all its heart and of its own free mind, magic will love you, and you will love it in turn.' When Arthur finds out about Merlin's magic on a hunting trip gone wrong, it feels as if his world has been turned upside down. Yet a mother's love is a powerful thing, and her blessing even more so. Will Ygraine's little gift be enough to help him see that he truly cannot hate half of that which makes him whole?

Blog Info ☆ All 2024 Reclists ☆ 2023 Reclists

[artisanscribbles]

The BBC!MerlinLegenbornCrossover

I have, if even possible, put less thought into a coherent storyline for this one than the Time Travel Not-A-Fix-It so this is mostly vibes and no plot. But since it was requested I'll post it anyway. There are fewer spoilers in this since it predates OATHBOUND but I'll put it under the cut anyway.

Bloodmarked/BBC!Merlin Fic Highlights

The premise of this fic was that at some point post-S5 Merlin had something of a mental break and shifted all magical creatures, magical locations and various locations in the Show into Avalon. The people who lived in Camelot and other locations went into sort of a magical stasis while the many of remaining Druids migrated into Avalon to live. Merlin spends a couple of centuries in a very empty Camelot before the Druid Isledir calls a magical council to Isle of the Blessed to discuss the responsibilities of the various factions that have formed while Merlin was out of his mind. At the end of it its decide that Freya as the Lady of the Lake will continue to ultimately decide entry to Avalon, Merlin Mordred and Morgana will act as a Triad of protectors to keep balance in Lands.

Merlin takes Camelot and several  its Surrounding Lands a builds the Broken Tower (also called the Crystal Tower and heavily inspired by the Crystarium in FFXIV) in the Perilous Lands as a kind of workshop/Storage facility (that seems to attract an awful lot of magical people/beings who then settle there, but keeps Gaius’s rooms in the Keep so he can keep an eye on the castle (he is not a King, please stop calling him a King), Mordred stands for the Druids who roam a large section of forested wilderness in migratory camps, and Morgana moves to Tintagel in Cornwall, and largely and particularly keeps a court of women, many magical, many who have left their families for various reasons. The Lake of Avalon and the Isle of the Blessed stand in the Center where Freya holds Ultimate authority and where the three meet to settle any disputes. The Lake is also where most visitors stumble through into Avalon. And connects the two worlds from almost any body of water in the Earth Realm. At some point Arthur et al wake up and continue on from the season finale, where eventually Arthur unites the Human Kingdoms underneath him and rules as High King thus ushering the promised Golden Age. The court kind of exists as a fairy court, and Round Table is various degrees of aware that time doesn’t really work the same way for them now. Leon and Gwen are the most aware, followed by Arthur who in true Arthur form just ignores things until he has to confront Merlin about them. Merlin does not function as official Court Sorcerer, or manservant or physician but is kind of just recognized as the King’s Mistress, in that the court is fully aware Merlin just does whatever he wants, has no work hours, no set schedule, and that they still have to get his permission for a bunch of stuff and he can go see the King and Queen whenever no questions asked. Merlin is also completely out of fucks to give at this point anyway.

All three sorcerers can travel back and forth at will to the Earthly Realms, and the time between the Realms is a bit wibbly-wobbly and doesn’t match up well, but Merlin spends the most time there, having adventures, participating in history and generally keeping up his education and occasionally hibernating inside of trees as a sanity check. The tree hibernation ritual is a Druid ritual that allows their immortal or long-lived minds to rest and generally stay sane. The trees required to do so need to be very mature though by the time Merlin decides to take a nap just before the American civil war he travels to America to find a proper tree, deep in the heart of Carolina. A Hawthorne tree.

Bree finds him when she’s about 10, and thinks she’s rescuing him when she pulls him back into the world. Merlin freaks out a bit, because no one has ever woken him up before, pops back to Avalon to see Morgana, realizes Bree must have been able to do so for a reason, and so catches up with history and acts like a weird uncle to Bree and Alice until they go to Chapel Hill.

In this AU they are aware that Merlin is the Merlin and that the King Arthur story was popular and often used to prop up courts for petty kings that came after – the Legendborn table the most successful among them, though Merlin does not initially realize their descendants are still kicking because he thought the whole conceit was deeply stupid anyway. He also thought they all died out during the Black Plague. The girls have also visited Avalon several times and know Freya, Morgana, Lancelot and Mordred very well. Arthur’s court is peripherally aware Merlin sometimes has visitors but they don’t really understand the relationship. Bree also has a magical key that can be used in any door to take her to Merlin’s rooms in Camelot and she full permission to use the library in there but no not to touch any of the experiments. She can take Alice but a large number of people would be a real strain on her (…not that she’d ever have to pull off a large group escape). Bree and Alice learn some BBC!Merlin magic from Morgana and Mordred because its generally accepted that Merlin is pretty shit at sorcery because magic operates so differently for him.

The events of Legendborn progress basically as the book did. Except for Bree’s hilarious mental asides, she never voices like “Merlin and Arthur didn’t do shit my guy”, “How exactly did anyone figure out Gwaine’s descendant line”, “Lancelot was always up for some recreational treason” and “Leon was the only thing keeping Camelot together most days. Leon was First Knight, why does no one ever know about Leon?!” and Alice texting Merlin more and more frantically as the book goes on.

Bloodmarked starts off with the face-off with Merlin bombastically interrupting Erebus’ speech with Bree and Sel with “Who are you and why do I care? Never mind, Briana we are going to have words” marching over to Bree, throwing her over his shoulder and marching back to the lodge complaining the entire way while just tossing the Mageguard and Erebus like they do to all the sorcerers in the show. This is super effective and very funny because Merlin doesn’t cast like anyone else in Legendborn which leads to fun conversations like:

“Who are you and how did you do that.”

“I’m Merlin and I’m Merlin.”

“The Spell of Eternity is the most complicated and precise piece of spell work Merlin ever created.” ‘Alice and Bree heavily side-eye a shrugging Merlin.'

Arthur being like “You sure you have the right guy? Merlin’s about as good at magic as he is at anything else, which isn’t very.” ‘Merlin nodding agreeably in the back. Arthur considers skill to be the ability to do something with consistent results. Merlin’s magic does not really have consistent results.

The Knights at some point charging into the fray in the Earthly realm and handing all the magic users their asses because 1.) Knights of Camelot are REALLY GOOD at fighting sorcerers 2.) It turns out men who have made a career out of fighting and training to fight as their jobs are much better than modern teenagers even the ones who are on the field killing demons all the time.

Arthur not initially understanding he and Bree aren’t actually related “Obviously she’s my descendant, she’s the picture of Guinevere as a young woman. And she has the Pendragon nose.” Morgana agreeing in the background. Confusion from the Order because they don’t know Guinevere is a black woman. This is running joke whenever the boys try to hide Bree’s identity in Avalon and it doesn’t work at all.

Merlin just, straight up steals Not-Actually-Excalibur and Stone it’s stuck in from the Ogof y Draigg, chucks it in one of his basement rooms and for once in his life gets drunk with Gwaine in the Rising Sun about this. While he’s doing this, the Order is freaking out about the theft. Bree is trying so hard to straight-face the whole situation. No she has no idea what happened, how is it possible Excalibur was stolen, nope not her. Alice breaks down laughing when they tell her. The boys are very confused.

Merlin “Why, why does everyone remember that stupid decision, I made when I was exhausted and concussed. WHY IS  IT JAMMING THE MAGIC SWORD IN A ROCK BECAUSE I COULDN’T THINK OF A BETTER OPTION AT THE TIME! THIS IS THE MOST ICONIC THING I’VE EVER DONE!” Lancelot” …That’s rough buddy”

Merlin is so salty about Not-Actually-Excalibur. Excalibur is not that Sword. That Sword isn’t even a good sword! Bree, Bree do you want a better magic sword, he’ll make you a better sword, please let him make you a better sword, Gwen back me up here.

NO one ever tells the boys Merlin is Merlin. Because 1.) they'd never believe it 2). the comedic potential is just so funny. Merlin knows people just have to figure his identity out by themselves by now, so while he's not hiding it, he's not flaunting it either. They sort it out eventually.

Please just imagine the shenanigans. Will and Merlin bonding over being physicians. Merlin being so interested and impressed by Sel’s magic. Merlin and Nick bitching about cults of personality and abusive uses of power. Bree, Merlin and Alice having so many inside jokes. THE BOYS AND THE ENTIRE ORDER HAVING NO IDEA WHAT’S GOING ON WITH BREE’S WEIRD UNCLE BECAUSE NO ONE BOTHERED TO TELL THEM HE’S THE FOR REAL ACTUAL MERLIN. SO MUCH BOMBASTIC SIDEYE!

The comedic potential is unbelievable.

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

More stuff about my Merlin soulmate au:

Something I think I forgot to mention last time is that soulmates take comfort in the presence and physical contact of each other, feeling safe and content with them by their side.

The other kingdoms view Uther's policies on soulmates to be barbaric and cruel, and is a contributing factor to the tension and conflicts Camelot faces with the surrounding kingdoms.

Morgana still goes evil in this one lads, but with an important change of her anger being exclusively directed at Uther, Arthur, and Merlin. Gwen is her soulmate and she loves her, she wants Gwen at HER side. Her rage at getting a vision of Gwen becoming queen isn't because she is queen, but because she's ARTHURS queen (I do want to clarify that Gwen and Morgana's relationship in this au is platonic, but it only makes sense for Morgana to want one of her soulmates to rule beside her, and her other soulmates are her sister and a child)

So all the attempts on Gwen's life are gone (though both the shade plot and the dark tower might still be in play, but with the intention to get Gwen back all to herself, not to harm her)

(Merlin does not know Morgana is one of Gwen's other soulmates until after he poisoned her and Gwen let's slipped that she's really worried about Morgana, but at least she knows she's alive.)

(Gwen being Morgana's soulmate is a treasure trove of angst that I do plan on exploring fully)

The Coming of Arthur is going to be fun in regards to Morgana and Gwen (and Leon)

Morgana promising Gwen that no harm will come to her, not with her by her side.

"I know it's not fair of me to make you choose between soulmates, but Gwen, I can bring peace back to Camelot. Magic can be free again, soulmates cherished as they are supposed to be. Please, join me."

But the thing is, Morgana isn't just asking Gwen to choose between two halves of her soul. She knows both Leon and Merlin would never forsake Arthur, and if she chose Morgana, she would also lose both of them, not just Arthur. It's an unfair position to be in, an impossible situation (she chooses anyway. The Morgana she knew never would have ordered the death of innocent civilians to punish those who would not obey her. Something happened to the girl she loves, shes having trouble recognizing the holder of a piece of her soul)

(Gwen still goes to the dungeon to bring Leon food, though it goes a little differently, with Leon learning that Morgana is her soulmate. More on that in another post)

Arthur is going to repeal the laws against soulmates and magic as soon as he becomes king (he has been aware of Merlin’s status as a sorcerer for years and is unable to see how magic can be evil and corrupting when Merlin is one of the best people he knows and his soulmate to boot)

Due to most of them growing up under laws that prohibit talking about soulmates, it takes everybody far too fucking long to realize that they are all soulmates with each other cause no one says anything or compares notes.

I know its mean, but they finally figure it all out following Lancelot's death

(I have tried to figure out a way for him to survive but I really don't think he can)

(Poor Gwen all alone in Camelot breaking down while helping care for people because she feels Lancelot *die* with only Gaius to help her. No other soulmates available to hold her and help her feel a little less empty, a little less alone.)

Everyone experiencing the same pain and all knowing they just lost Lancelot leads to conversation.

Because while everyone in the group had been bonded with Lancelot, not everyone is bound together, which is totally possible, but Arthur knows he's soul bound to half this group, it would make sense to check if there's others in the group.

I will make a separate post about the events of the darkest hour cause I think this would get very long if I had it in here

Now, something I haven't gotten into yet is the magic part of soulmates (so far it's mainly been the destiny and social ramifications and interpersonal details)

Soulmarks are magic, and in some cases, an individual can develop a soulmate ability, a single ability that can be used in regards to exclusively one's bonded soulmates

Now these abilities vary in strength and specificity, some are dictated by touch, others apply no matter where they are in the world

Some soulmate abilities I've come up with thus far are:

The ability to always know what direction their soulmate is in relation to themself

The ability to know when their soulmate is lying to them, and a more broad varient of always knowing when they are lying period

The ability to always instinctually know what it is their soulmate truly means when they speak (I'm very tempted to give this to Gwen because I think it would make things interesting with Morgana, but I am worried it might break things a bit)

The ability to know what their soulmate is feeling emotionally by looking at them or touching them (I think I'm going to give this one to Leon?)

An ability confined to touch that brings to the soulmate's attention what their body most needs at that moment. (It's requires intent to be put into use, and it doesn't necessarily make the soulmate do that thing? It's not compulsory. It's more "Hey you're fucking exhausted you need sleep," or "Crying sounds so nice right now," or "Dude, EAT," and they can still fight these things, if they choose to, but those things are now at the forefront of their attention (making them more likely to be heeded))

Now, an ability I've thought EXTENSIVELY about:

A very rare and (before Uther nuked everything having to do with magic and soulmates) coveted ability that allows someone to, through constant touch, share their life force with their dying soulmate in order to keep then alive.

So say, for example, somebody (Soulmate A) is actively bleeding out from a fatal wound. The soulmate with the ability (Soulmate B) would have to touch soulmate A, skin to skin contact, and have this desperation, determination that soulmate A will not die, they won't let them.

Now, a couple things would happen.

One: Soulmate B's soulmark on Soulmate A's skin would move in some way to the point of injury (the method may vary depending on what their mark looks like. Like if the mark was a flower, the stem may extend and the mark itself stays stationary, or if it's something that's alive it would just fully move) and start "healing" the wound

Healing being in quotes because

Two: The injury is really being transferred partially to Soulmate B, enough so that the injury to Soulmate A is no longer immediately fatal, for the duration that they keep contact with Soulmate A. This buys Soulmate A time to be healed properly, but if the underlying injury is not healed in a timely manner, both Soulmate A and B could die.

Healing Soulmate A would also heal Soulmate B, as it was never truly their injury (though it sure feels and acts like it, and can be just as deadly if help isn't gotten in time.)

Because this ability is so inherently magic and is considered a spell, Soulmate B, even if they have the capacity to use other magic, can not cast a healing spell while using this spell, as it's only possible to cast one spell at a time.

I am naturally giving this ability to Merlin.

But the thing about abilities like this one is that it's impossible to know if you have it or not until the situation calls for it for the first time. It's impossible to know until your soulmate is dying right in front of you. Until you reach out and wish with every fiber in your being that they survive and they DO

The other thing about this ability? It can only be used once per soulmate. One get out of death free card and that's it

I haven't fully figured out if the dark tower would still happen, but if it does, Merlin would discover this ability saving Elyan's life (with the help of the knights who have to on the fly learn healing magic or else lose *both* of them)

That's going to be it for this post as it's starting to get long, but I have other posts I'm already working on. Also, if anyone has any questions, ideas, or suggestions in regards to this au, please feel free to send them my way!

[glenp0wellss]

🟇 The Crown Between Us 🟇 ~Arthur Pendragon x oc~

Summary: After an agreement between kingdoms, Arthur must marry Anwen, a young princess from Caerwyn. Both are filled with doubts and fears, but little by little—through silences, glances, and unexpected promises—something deeper begins to grow. A story about two strangers forced to share a fate… and perhaps, a heart.

Arthur x Female OC

Warnings: None... For now.

Author's Note: This fanfic is kinda AU, because it's not very canon. It happens somewhere between season 3, maybe 4. Sorry if I don't get right certain things and english is not my native language. Enjoy, I had this idea for years and now it's here ♥

CHAPTER 1: PROMISES AND FEARS

The throne room smelled of incense and sealed fate.

Arthur Pendragon remained silent, his jaw clenched, while King Uther, his father, spoke enthusiastically about the alliance. “A great step for Camelot,” he said with pride. But the young prince didn’t share that feeling. All he could feel was resignation. A marriage of duty, a decision made for him, but not by him.

“Are you telling me I’m about to marry a stranger?” Arthur blurted out, trying to mask his anger.

Uther pretended to ignore his tone. He was so sure about that the union was absolutely necessary.

“She is not a stranger. She is Princess Anwen of Caerwyn. Her father, King Edric, has been our ally for generations. This union will strengthen both kingdoms.”

The young man let out a humorless laugh. It all felt like a bad joke.

“Caerwyn... that place of peace and poetry. Do you really think a princess raised among songs and gardens will understand Camelot?”

“You’d better make sure of that,” the king replied with a certain coldness. “Because the treaty is already signed.”

_________________________________________

Arthur took out his frustration on the training grounds, lashing out at the sandbags with a furious strength. Merlin, his faithful servant (sometimes friend and confidant), watched him from the shadows until he dared to speak.

“I met her today,” he said, breaking the silence in his usual tone of friendly intrusion. “The princess.”

Arthur turned to him, sweaty and exasperated.

“So what? Did you find her charming? Wise? Is she going to save the kingdom with smiles and embroidery?”

“No. But she seemed afraid,” Merlin replied with unusual seriousness. “And still, she was kind to everyone. She listened to the maids and knights. She asked about you.”

Arthur lowered his sword.

“What did she ask?”

“If you were cruel.”

That threw him off completely. For a second, the image of a young girl trembling in an unfamiliar room, forced to marry a stranger, felt too real.

Later that day, he saw her for the first time.

The princess stood beside her mother and Guinevere, her gaze lowered, lips pressed together, like she was trying to hide. When she looked up, their eyes met.

And the world stopped. Not for love. Not yet. But for a different kind of heartbeat. Something between surprise and desire. Something he didn’t expect. She was… different. At least, that’s what he sensed.

Anwen was small, delicate, like she had been sculpted from porcelain. Her skin was pale and smooth, almost luminous. Her large eyes, somewhere between green and amber, reflected both intelligence and caution. Her light brown hair fell in soft waves, woven into thin braids gathered at the nape of her neck. She didn’t need jewels to stand out. She had the kind of beauty that she was not aware of. 

Meanwhile, she felt her throat go dry. Because the man she had feared so much… was infinitely more imposing—and more handsome—than she had imagined. And that terrified her even more.

_________________________________________

The great hall of Camelot was covered with golden banners and flowers brought from every corner of the kingdom. The priest’s words seemed to fade into the murmurs of the guests and the weight of destiny.

Arthur barely listened. But it was impossible not to notice Anwen. She stood beside him, wearing an ivory dress that flowed like water over her shoulders. Her hair was loose, with small braids framing her face. On her head, she wore a delicate, discreet veil, and a crown so subtle it seemed she didn’t wish to appear more imposing than the occasion required.

When the priest asked them to join hands, she hesitated for a fraction of a second—not out of disdain, but fear. Arthur felt the faint tremble in her fingers. He didn’t know what to say. So he simply looked at her. Not as a prince. Not as a husband. Simply as someone who was also trapped in a cage. 

“I promise to protect you,” he said softly, just for her. “And never force anything you don’t wish.”

Anwen’s expression shifted entirely. She gave the slightest nod, relieved.

The priest’s words continued. They marked the end of one life and the beginning of another. And when they had to kiss each other, they did it so briefly—but Arthur sensed a softness, tinged with sweetness.

The celebration was everything Uther and Edric had hoped for: music, wine, applause. Arthur stayed beside Anwen, as the protocol dictated. He offered her a glass of wine with a smile that felt more genuine than he expected. She noticed it—and responded with warmth.

“Are you all right?” she asked in a low voice.

Arthur leaned in to hear her better. Her floral scent wrapped around him.

“I’m not very used to being the center of attention,” he said, half-joking.

“Me neither.” A pause—because she knew she was about to say something bold. “But I prefer your company to their stares.”

He almost smiled. Almost.

_________________________________________

The bridal chamber was lit by soft candles and scented with lavender. “Merlin definitely did this,” Arthur cursed in his head. The silence weighed heavier than the stone walls.

They each stepped behind the screens to change out of their ceremonial attire. It was far too formal to sleep in. Separated, they took their time undressing, each one delaying the moment as long as possible. Neither offered help to the other. Anwen finished after him. She wore a simple white nightgown, made of light fabric. She stood by the bed, not knowing what to do next. Arthur remained at a distance, standing awkwardly for the first time in a long while. He couldn’t stop watching her, like he was memorizing every move that she made.

She really was beautiful. He couldn’t deny it.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” he said, breaking the silence.

She didn’t answer right away. She just watched as he approached—slowly, calmly.

“My mother told me about… what is expected,” she murmured. “But I don’t want to be just a duty.”

Arthur took a deep breath and gently took one of her hands.

“You’re not a duty. You’re a person. And tonight… doesn’t have to be anything you don’t want it to be.”

They were defying tradition. That night, they were supposed to consummate their marriage. But neither of them was ready. For the first time, Arthur felt like he had a choice. He didn’t want to do what was expected. He wanted to do what was right.

Their eyes met. For an instant, the walls between them fell. Arthur raised his free hand and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. It was a small gesture—but Anwen closed her eyes, as if that touch had reached deeper than a thousand words.

“We can just… sleep,” she whispered.

“Yes.” He smiled. “A quiet night sounds perfect.”

She smiled back, shyly.

They lay down, separated by a few inches. There were no kisses, no caresses. Only the shared sound of their breathing—and a gentle tension, like a bridge not yet crossed… but slowly being built.

Thanks for reading!!

[starrstruck-xx]

Merlin Fix It AU season 2 Finale:

Kilgharrah reached his breaking point and calls to nimueh. The witch appears under the castle surprisingly enough. Kilgharrah made an offer: if she can free him from his chains, he will help her kill uther. She’s delighted.

She managed to free him (in one way or another) and they immediately went into action. Setting fire on camelot. With the unexpected attack nimueh burst into citadel, ready to jump on uther who was in the throne room with our main cast, with balinor watching in the shadows (he was keeping an eye on merlin)

He lowkey doesn’t care that this man is going to die until Merlin tries to stop her. but she launches a spell on him so with no other way and knowing how dangerous nimueh is, even for merlin, Balinor came out from the shadows and stops it in time with his magic as the whole court watched in cringe

nimueh backs away and balinor commanded kilgharrah to surrender. Uther was furious, gaius is face palming himself, arthur gwen and morgana was in shock for various different reasons, and merlin is about to faint.

Uther being uther immediately told the guards to kill this man on-sight because holy shit that’s a dragonlord, THAT’S THE GODDAMN LAST DRAGONLORD THAT’S SUPPOSED TO DIE 20 YEARS AGO- but arthur stops them and tell his father that it would be unwise to kill balinor now as the great dragon is in fact, terrorizing camelot.

Uther calls bullshit as he blames balinor for kilgharrah’s rampage and balinor taunts him too, saying how he’s only getting revenge because uther had caged him under the castle for idk 20+ years and killed every last one of his kind, including the dragonlords, calling him a fool and a tyrant and that his kingdom deserve to fall. Uther veins popped as he hears this and tell the guards to imprison him instead but balinor says no and vanishes from everyone’s sight.

Merlin is obviously in distraught during all of this (no he doesn’t know that’s his father but he is somewhat of a second father to him next to gaius). And gwen gaius morgana and arthur tried their best to calm him even if arthur (and maybe gwen because i changed her backstory) is miffed that balinor is 1. A sorcerer and 2. The fucking last dragonlord

The dragon attacked for the 2nd time but the castle is prepared now and as nimueh attacks. the main gang had managed to knock uther unconscious so they can drag him away from nimueh who already took control of the castle.

They spent the days after that in hiding, thinking of a strategy to take the castle back but is unsuccessful because theyre literally fighting against a dragon!!!! Balinor appeared during all of this and is happily welcomed back by merlin morgana and gaius but arthur immediately went diplomatic mode and say: we need your help.

Arthur even promises that he is going to make camelot to be a place that is safe to live in for balinor and take back the decree of hunting every dragon and dragonlords. But balinor obviously doesnt trust him and told him it was uther’s fault that camelot is in danger and he refuses to help.

Arthur was so pissed off he got into a physical fight with balinor but got stopped by the main cast. balinor told him that he clearly isnt ready to be king.

Nimueh and kilgharrah found them and obliterated them, nimueh finally gets to uther and is about to kill him before arthur stops her and pleaded with her.

He bows to both nimueh and kilgharrah, vowing that he will lift the ban against magic in camelot in exchange for uther and for his people alive. He even lets them to take him in their stead. Nimueh saw ygraine in arthur and reluctantly agrees but kilgharrah didnt see that obviously and tries to off uther but balinor stops him and he angrily goes away while nimueh disappears in the shadows.

The crew goes back to camelot to rebuild things and things were going pretty well until a guard suddenly stabs balinor in the back and he drops to the ground. Morgana immediately kills the guard and arthur looks at his father.

Uther says “There will never be a place of magic in camelot, not then, not now, not ever, magic is a vile and wicked thing, and it always will be”

Merlin tries to shake him to wake up but balinor lay motionless as he dies in his arms.

As the episode ends, morgana is seen talking to a cloaked figure “i want to kill uther pendragon”

Interested in my au..?

or filter w the hashtag #must we really rely on fate?

[messandahalf10]

February

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Chapters: 1/1

Word Count: 10675

Summary:

Arthur had been back for about six months. Merlin still finds it hard to believe that it was already half a year ago that the man had crawled out of the lake, soaking wet and disoriented and confused. It had been… a challenge at first, to say the least. Arthur had struggled to come to terms with his new reality, making his behaviour and his moods erratic. When he became overwhelmed, he would lash out. And Merlin, being the only person in the world he knew, took the brunt of it. He did so willingly. If it meant having Arthur back, if it meant he was no longer alone, he was willing to do anything.

OR

One month in the life of Merlin and newly returned Arthur Pendragon.

Excerpt:

It’s just about a half hour later that Arthur comes into view again. He looks decidedly unhappy, a gauze bandage wrapped around his head securely. Merlin feels sick again just looking at it, even though he knows that Arthur is fine. The same nurse from before greets Merlin as he stands and rushes to meet them halfway.

“Your friend is all patched up. The bandage can stay on until tonight and can be taken off then. It’s mostly a formality, really. He needs to take it easy when washing his hair to prevent pulling the stitches out, and we recommend lots of rest. A blow to the head is no light issue. He did not get a concussion at all, but it’s still best to take it easy for the next couple of days.” She tells Merlin. Merlin can see Arthur roll his eyes, irritation written all over his features. Merlin ignores him.

“Okay. Thank you.” Merlin replies.

“You’re welcome.” She replies. She hands an envelope over to Merlin. “Here are some basic aftercare instructions. Have a good rest of your day, gentlemen.”

With that, she turns and strides away. Merlin watches her go for a moment before turning to Arthur. The blond opens his mouth, but Merlin just holds up a hand, prematurely silencing him. Arthur wisely snaps his mouth closed, falling into step beside the brunet as Merlin leads them back to the entrance and out into the frigid winter temperatures beyond the doors again. Merlin doesn't speak until they are in the car and it has coughed to life again.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again, Arthur.” His voice is quiet but firm. He stares out the windshield, refusing to look over at Arthur again just yet. Now that the adrenaline has worn off for him as well, the guilt has settled in, the anger at himself for not protecting Arthur well enough, both today and back then, has settled in. It is hot and heavy and insistent in his gut.

‘I love you.’ He wants to say again, bites the words back and swallows them down for what feels like the thousandth time since Arthur came back. ‘I love you, and I can’t lose you again. It would break me.’

Very softly, Arthur replies, “I promise to be more careful in the future, Merlin.”

Merlin nods resolutely once, then he is shifting his car into reverse and backing out of his parking space. The drive back home is silent and Merlin’s knuckles are white as he grips the steering wheel tightly all the way home.

[ambriel-angstwitch]

You’re losing me is Merthur coded

You say, "I don't understand, " and I say, "I know you don't"

Arthur responds to finding out about Merlin’s magic with confusion and disbelief

We thought a cure would come through in time, now, I fear it won't

Merlin thought he could save Arthur from his fate but now he realizes he can’t

Remember lookin' at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light Now, I just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time

Merlin and Arthur loved Camelot because of the life it held. Merlin loved it even more because of Arthur and the future it promised, but now Arthur’s gone and he didn’t get what he wanted.

Do I throw out everything we built or keep it?

When things get hard Merlin might wonder if all this was worth it

I'm getting tired even for a phoenix Always risin' from the ashes Mendin' all her gashes

Merlin is a a resilient person enemies keep beating him down but he just keeps going. He’d destroy himself and he’d destroy other people and things just to keep Arthur safe.

You might just have dealt the final blow

Merlin loves Arthur more than anything but he knows that Arthur might kill him if he learned about his magic and he knows he’d let him (at least if he knew Arthur would be ok afterwards)

Stop, you're losin' me… I can’t find a pulse My heart won't start anymore For you 'Cause you're losin' me

As Arthur put all of his focus on Gwen and then on the anger that came from losing her. He started to lose Merlin, Merlin would never leave but he didn’t have as much energy, his smile faded, he didn’t joke as much anymore.

Every mornin', I glared at you with storms in my eyes How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'? I sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick. My face was gray, but you wouldn't admit that we were sick

Arthur said he loved Merlin but yet he chose Gwen that slowly drained Merlin. The one Merlin loved so deeply couldn’t give the same love back.

And the air is thick with loss and indecision

When Arthur finds out about Merlin’s magic their relationship will never be the same again. No matter if it turned out ok or horribly it still could never be the same. Arthur doesn’t know what to do with this information, he knows what someone having magic should mean but it’s Merlin.

I know my pain is such an imposition

Merlin is an imposition of the law just by being himself, but his pain is something of a burden because he wants something he can’t have not only is he a servant but he’s a man. Arthur and him could never be accepted.

Now, you're runnin' down the hallway And you know what they all say You don't know what you got until it's gone

Merlin couldn’t imagine how much it would hurt to see Arthur marry someone else until it happened and he didn’t even confront the possibility of losing him until it happened and he had to deal with the pain

How long could we be a sad song 'Til we were too far gone to bring back to life?

Arthur and Merlin were a tragic story and that started even before Arthur died but when he died that cemented the end. They could have been something greater if Arthur had known sooner but it’s too late now.

I gave you all my best me's, my endless empathy

Merlin gave Arthur his everything. He stayed even when Arthur lashed out at him. He wasn’t mad at Arthur for hating what made Merlin because he understood that was how he was made.

And all I did was bleed as I tried to be the bravest soldier

But in the end all Merlin got was pain.

Fighting in only your army

Merlin only ever used his magic for Arthur

Frontlines, don't you ignore me

He stood by Arthur’s side against all odds, the dragon, Morgana, the Vikings, you name it. No matter the odds he was there, that was something Arthur saw and respected.

I'm the best thing at this party

Ok a little break from the angst. Do you ever think of that scene during a feast where it’s Merthur having intense eye contact like they’re the only thing that matters? Because that’s the only Merthur connection I could think of here

And I wouldn't marry me either

Merlin realizes why Arthur chose Gwen.

A pathological people pleaser Who only wanted you to see her

Merlin despite being argumentative and sometimes annoying still just wants to make Arthur happy.

And I'm fadin', thinkin' "Do something, babe, say something” "Lose something, babe, risk something" "Choose something, babe, I got nothing To believe Unless you're choosin' me"

Back to how I started this Merlin doesn’t like that Arthur responded to learning his secret with silence. He wants an answer, he needs to know what Arthur thinks and feels. Nothing is worse than the outright hatred. The unknown is far worse than knowing it could have been better.

[centurieslove]

Arthur barely spoke, which was thankful enough. Merlin didn’t think he could dredge it all up again, lie again, not this early in the morning. He let himself be carried back as his eyes glassed over, reeling silently as he swayed in his saddle. At first, he couldn’t hear Arthur’s voice saying the words, in his mind’s eye - but if he really focused, if he shuttered his surroundings away, he could just see it: the three hooded figures, Arthur in the misted cave, a promise. Each time the image materialised, it brought a sheer warmth that would start to weave itself along his arms, tingling into his veins- only inevitably to fall into his stomach and settle there, heavy and sick. His palms itched with sweat, the leather reins digging into his palms as he attempted to curb the urge to turn his horse around. The inside of his mouth ached where it had been bitten raw.

All too soon, the creamy faraway turrets of Camelot swayed into view above the treetops - and upon spotting them a violent clench of panic dropped onto Merlin’s chest. He kicked his heels quickly, gathering speed and rode up alongside Arthur. The king’s gaze remained on their path ahead.

"Arthur." Merlin started, firmly.

"Merlin.” Arthur returned, just as firmly.

Merlin kicked his horse a little more, definitely not pretending it was a certain blond king.

"Arthur," Merlin grit through his teeth. "Are you sure?"

Arthur’s sigh was just audible over the rough pad of the horses’ hooves on the forest floor.

"Are you telling me you'd rather see a friend die," the King replied, monotone, solemn.

A friend? Merlin had forgotten-

In a other life, maybe.

"No, but-"

"But what, Merlin. For god's sake." Arthur finally turned to look at him.

Excuses were drying quickly on Merlin's tongue. He dropped his gaze to where Arthur’s hands seemed to be holding back the temptation to rip the reins in two. Merlin held back the temptation to shake the king until he fell off his horse.

With an unsteady voice, he tried to push Arthur, asking, you’ll repeal the laws, then? Let magic return to Camelot? What did he want to hear?

"...is that what you really want?" Merlin said, then winced. The pathetic, pleading tone in his words; hopefully it wasn’t discernible. Arthur didn't respond.

A faint murmur of crowd rose from over the castle walls that swayed ever closer. He pushed again, throwing increasingly agitated comments across the space between them, like, how will the people react?, and- you can’t expect them to welcome back magic overnight, and after a while, it’ll be dangerous- you, you have to con-

“I know!” Arthur yelled, suddenly glowing with rage. “You think you know how to run a kingdom?"

Merlin held firm, his eyes burning.

"That’s not what I meant.”

Arthur’s gaze was just as solid, blue meeting blue. The crowd’s murmuring roar was cresting over the walls.

“Don’t let me stop you, Merlin.”

Fury buzzed in head. “You,” he started, “could have at least-”

“What.” Arthur snapped. “Spit it out, christ, it’s like talking to-”

“Don’t cut me off then!”

“You’re- you…”

“What. What! What am I?”

Arthur spluttered, “Impossible. I swear to gods…”

Merlin’s chest heaved. He glanced between the approaching gate and the king next to him. Camelot was breaking into view on their direct path now, forest peeling away into vast yellow fields. Merlin bit his lip.

All of my father’s work -

“Why did you change your mind?” he said finally.

Arthur just stared. A small line was creasing between his brows, and when he spoke, it was after a long moment of his blue eyes bearing into Merlin’s, and his voice was calmer, quieter.

Maybe the old ways -

“Who says I’d changed it?” the king said.

Merlin huffed and turned away.