#merlins his own downfall

[tiredcowboyy]

my favourite merlin hc of mine is that arthur will only return when merlin gives up on the idea of him doing so. That when merlin gives up on him coming back, his magic starts to fade with his hope and that the danger albion faces that requires the king to return isnt world wars or global pandemics, its when the world loses its magic.

Basically merlin is albions greatest need

Edit: if arthur did come back bc of this, him and merlin would reunite and then I imagine Merlin would be so stressed and on edge for months he would just constantly be in a state of ???? Looking at the world confused on what catastrophe was finally so bad that arthur returned (not knowing it was him who was the catastrophe) he would probably only realise later when Arthur cracked a joke about how bad merlin looked when arthur first got there.

[gonzodangerfeels]

You want a real rush?

Be sitting on the throne dropping a deuce and hear a fucking angry 180 lb bull mastiff attacking a puppy that weighs less than 20 pounds

Underwear draped around my ankles I get up and hop twice to get out of the bathroom, standing I and jumping a three foot dog gate into the kitchen, quick hops across the kitchen; another jump over a wooden dog gate and two hops to tackle a 180 lb dog and clamp that mother fucker in a head lock with one leg trapped keeping my head so tight against his lower neck I was clear of his angry fat head and mouth(this was a very large mother fucking dog) and pulled the behemoth off the puppy while putting my hand out to keep the puppy away from the mouth.

And then I am sitting there with my dick hanging out, an ass in need of wiping, my underwear at this point twisted around my ankles and a huge angry dog in my clutches.

I am like, "KNOCK THAT SHIT OFF MOTHER FUCKER OR I WILL KILL YOU"

And my large dog returned to a normal state of temperament. I was able to finish taking a shit with an adrenaline dump.

Oh and I did get to wipe my ass eventually.

[nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather]

What kills me about Merthur is that their downfall was loving each other too damn much and they'd have been infinitely better off if they had cared just a little bit less. Magic could've come back to Camelot in S2 and with his own skills and charisma and both Merlin and Morgana behind him Arthur would've been an unstoppable king and lived a long life... but Arthur was in so much pain and about to inflict even more on himself and that was all Merlin could see. He couldn't care about anything else when Arthur's heart was breaking and he made that same mistake over and over again, knowing it was a mistake, and still incapable of making a different choice.

Meanwhile if Arthur hadn't been so bone-deep terrified of losing Merlin that he could force himself to accept anything, no matter how absurd, so long as it meant nothing had to change between them, he could've seen and acted on reality so much sooner and not only done much more as king but proved Merlin's worst fears wrong and earned his true trust, ultimately leading to a much truer friendship that didn't have to end in tragedy.

But they loved too much, too deeply, too quickly and their desperation to keep each other damned them to lose each other far too soon.

[hopelessromantic5]

Merlin loses his memory.

Well, most of it.

“Merlin, what day of the week is it?”

The dazed look came back over Merlin’s face.

“Haven’t the foggiest.”

Arthur’s stomach plummeted into the Earth.

“Do you remember my name?” The mighty King of Camelot was nowhere to be found when these words were whispered in the depths of the Darkling Wood.

At some point, without his permission, Arthur had grabbed Merlin by the biceps, holding him there, as if he would run away.

The other man scanned Arthur’s face, starting with his jaw, his lips, moving up over the slope of his nose. He reaches the top, a mop of golden blonde hair, but then drops his eyes back down again. Freezing there. Their gazes locked.

Merlin‘s face shifts to an odd expression. One Arthur doesn’t think he’s ever seen, at least not without all the Merlin barriers over top.

This was something pure, yet Arthur still did not have a name for it. This disconcerted him even farther because Arthur knew every look on that beautiful face. A frustrated scowl before it’s fully formed, a quick retort on the tip of his tongue that must be held back due to present company (to which Arthur usually throws him a self-satisfied smirk and a quirked eyebrow, as if daring Merlin to say it anyway).

“No, I don’t know your name.” Merlin whispered softly, warm breaths carrying on the wind in the short space between them, and caressing Arthur’s face like a summer breeze.

The King could hear his own heart cracking, echoing through his rib cage. The first crack of a lake after an unforgiving winter.

Merlin did not allow it to take hold entirely, though.

“But I remember your eyes.” Came the second half of Merlin’s reply.

Arthur Pendragon almost collapsed out of pure affection right then and there.

Merlin would surely be his downfall.

[two-sides-samecoin]

i know people say that arthur get worse as the seasons go on but i saw a post with a saying of “fandom thinks that merlin is arthur’s moral compass” and despite that post not being about this i kind of came to the realization of why arthur does this back and forth in later seasons - it’s because of how fucked merlin’s moral compass is. merlin is so used to fear and that taking hold of him and living that way and desperation for arthur to stay alive that merlin’s one hesitancy and his way of life became arthur’s way of life. arthur cares about what merlin says so fucking much that he goes to merlin about things regarding the kingdom and how to rule. ironically merlin did mold arthur just as much as uther molded arthur. and ironically they both molded arthur to see the worst in magic. majority of the time in canon that arthur saw the good in magic wasn’t because of merlin. the first time we see him defend magic is because of gwen and her father. in season 2 he is willing to see that magic is good simply because it brought him his mother back for just a few seconds and he could talk to her! it’s soo intriguing and interesting. there are so many instances where arthur did think magic was good and the majority of the time it had nothing to do with merlin. actually arthur’s ideals of magic being not as great falls directly back on uther and merlin telling him directly that magic isn’t great and shouldn’t be trusted. that’s not to say that merlin should’ve shouldered all of this or that arthur can’t think for himself. i’m just saying that arthur’s back and forth that does become incredibly annoying at the end is where merlin’s moral compass plays a part in. merlin’s priorities changing directly stunted arthur’s growth multiple times and arthur didn’t even know it. most fics have arthur and merlin separating because “mean arthur can’t see merlin’s value and he needs to appreciate merlin and merlin needs to get away cuz this is consuming him and he needs to live his own life” which the merlin part is true but arthur’s downfall simply is because he values merlin way too fucking much that he will take merlin’s values solely to his heart and his heart will guide himself for merlin’s values. merlin’s belief of the prophecy however is not know to arthur thus arthur has a skewed version of merlin’s beliefs and etc. it’s just so intriguing because yes merlin is arthur’s moral compass which is exactly why arthur is stunted because merlin doesn’t trust arthur multiple times. not saying that he didn’t have no reason to fear arthur cuz he did. it’s just merlin didn’t trust arthur to grow which is why the ending is also so much more heartbreaking. arthur does grow in the end and merlin sees that. merlin sees that arthur could have grown so much more and that merlin could have had arthur by his side with merlin’s magic being known. at the end merlin allows arthur to grow to question to change his view point to change his moral compass but it’s too fucking late.

[ramblings-of-a-chaotic-neutral]

Hello everyone! I wasn't planning on posting a new au idea so soon (since I'm trying to finish up the next chapter of "What to do when an Eldritch God Decides That You're Friend-Shaped" 😅), but this au idea formed while I was watching "The Nightmare Begins" (the season 2 ep where Morgana first discovers her magic and goes to the druids, only to see them slaughtered) and it decided to derail my writing schedule. With some encouragement from the amazing artist and writer @guiltyscarlet, this au was born! I hope you all enjoy!

In this au, Merlin tells Morgana about his own magic during "The Nightmare Begins", so Merlin doesn't send her to the druids for help. He offers to help her learn about her own magic and control it, and she's just so relieved to have someone who understands. Morgana is heartbreakingly scared throughout the entire episode, so having Merlin there to fully support her and offer her genuine help with hiding her powers is life-changing for her. She essentially gets the same wisdom from Merlin as she would have from the druids: that magic is beautiful and not something to fear.

Merlin and Morgana spend the next few months growing closer (much to Arthur's horror, as he interprets it as them being romantically involved). Morgana swiftly gains control over her own powers, and she practices spells with Merlin. Both of them are just so happy to have someone who understands, a friend that they don't have to hide from or fear! They essentially become each other's comfort person.

But despite Merlin's insistence that things will become better once Arthur is king, that they just have to wait and have patience and everything will turn out fine, Morgana isn't so sure. Merlin is her dear friend, but she cannot buy into his "hope for the future and work from the background" mentality. No, Morgana knows that change will only come from action, action that Merlin is too kind, too caring to take. Morgana would never begrudge Merlin for his own kind heart, it is what makes him who he is after all, but she simply cannot show mercy to Uther as Merlin has done.

However, after a few months, Morgause comes to town. While Morgana's nightmares had become much more manageable with Merlin's help, they still hadn't ceased entirely. So, when Morgause gave her the healing bracelet that made them stop completely, Morgana believed that she had found another person like Merlin: someone who understood her and could support her!

So when Morgause sent her a message to meet in the woods, Morgana of course accepted. Now she could have two people to share her gifts with! And even better, Morgause wants to take action against Uther! They can work together to bring about Uther's downfall, and kind, caring magic users like Merlin all over Camelot will be safe from his cruelty and madness! It's perfect... up until the part where Morgause tries to take Camelot by force with a sleeping spell and the knights of Medhir, prepared to kill anyone who stands against her, magic user or not. This, this was not the grand liberation of Camelot that Morgana had been promised!

In the end, Merlin convinces Morgana herself to stand against Morgause and force her to lift the sleeping spell, but when Morgause still begs Morgana to come with her, Morgana tearfully tells Merlin that she appreciates all that he's done for her, but she needs to get away from Camelot, away from Uther. To Morgana, going with Morgause is the only way to save Camelot from Uther, as she could learn from Morgause and focus her attacks on Uther, thereby saving all of the magic users in Camelot, including Merlin himself.

Merlin had risked his life to save her, now she was going to return the favor. This was the only way.

Merlin begs her to reconsider, to at least not go with Morgause of all people, but Morgana won't listen. She has to do this, for all of their sakes. She takes Morgause's hand, and they both disappear.

From there, Morgana and Morgause spend a year travelling around while Morgause trains her in the ways of the Priestesses of the Old Religion. Morgana makes quick progress, and her magic becomes formidable in no time. After a year, Morgana plants herself in the woods to be "discovered" by the knights of Camelot and makes her grand homecoming to Camelot. In contrast to canon, this time when Morgana returns to Camelot, she's genuinely glad to see Merlin again.

After her return, she quickly pulls Merlin aside and, after they spend the evening catching up and expressing how glad they both are that the other is alright after a year apart, Morgana tells Merlin of her plans with Morgause and Cenred, as she doesn't want him to get hurt in the crossfire. Merlin is horrified at the plan, even though Morgana emphasizes that Cenred's soldiers are under strict orders not to harm civilians and to prioritize killing Uther. Merlin, of course, protests her plans, but Morgana shuts him down. Despite their now slightly tense situation, Merlin reiterates his vow that, no matter what, he will never tell a soul about Morgana's magic, and Morgana swears the same to him.

Season three goes much the same way, except Morgana never targets Arthur or Gwen and Merlin never tries to kill Morgana on Kilgharrah's orders. Morgana instead trips on her own, leading to a head injury that Merlin heals with a spell that he forced from Kilgharrah, and the whole "Uther is Morgana's father reveal" happens the same way. This time, Morgana also knows that Merlin went out of his way to save her life with his magic, which only reinforces her belief that Merlin is too kind to do what needs to be done and will get himself killed if Uther is allowed to live.

During Morgana's takeover of Camelot with Morgause's immortal army in the season 3 finale, Morgana doesn't kill civilians and also tries to get Merlin on her side. Her recruitment pitch to Merlin was essentially was something along the lines of "hey, now that I'm in charge, nice magic users like you can be protected! Your kindness inspired me to do this so you and others like you don't have to be afraid anymore! Join me and you can spend the rest of your life using your magic to make flowers bloom and heal people, all of the things you said magic should be used for! :D You just need to ditch Arthur."

And that doesn't reassure Merlin, who's been sold on Arthur's eventual golden reign for years now, one bit. If anything, Merlin feels guilty, as Morgana had taken over Camelot by force and become this hardened version of herself in part because of him.

When Merlin tries to point out how Morgana's takeover and her methods of ruling were scaring people rather than making them feel safer, Morgana used that argument against him, telling Merlin how he could use his kind heart to advise her on ways to make the people of Camelot feel safer and more accepting of magic if he only joined her. Morgana wanted him as one of her chief advisors, right next to Morgause. Morgana already had Morgause to tell her when she needed to be harsher, and now she could have Merlin to tell her when she needed to be softer.

Merlin, however, still rejects her offer, but Morgana isn't surprised. She knows that Merlin's ultimate loyalty lies with Arthur, and once again, she will not begrudge him for that. From there, Merlin manages to escape and meets back up with Arthur, and the round table is formed as per usual. But, before Merlin escaped, Morgana asked him if, after all of this, they could still be friends. Merlin replied that yes, they could.

In this au, Morgause wasn't injured when Merlin struck the cup of life, so Morgana and a healthy Morgause escape together to plot more ways to conquer Camelot, and Merlin still tries to stop them at every turn. While he infuriates Morgause, he and Morgana almost start to see it as a friendly rivalry between the two of them.

I'd imagine that this au has a pretty happy ending, with Arthur and Morgana being able to have a reconciliation or perhaps even bonding over wanting to protect Merlin! Or maybe they have a sibling rivalry to see who can be the better friend to Merlin lol!

And that's all for this au for now! Let me know if you'd like a to see a continuation of this au! A big thank you again to @guiltyscarlet for your support! I'd encourage everyone to go check out their Merlin art!

And, as always, thank you for reading through my ramblings! :D

[glutengoblin]

Too Sweet (Part 1) - Sebastian Sallow X Reader

A/N: Hello everyone! My name is Ari! I used to write fanfiction back in the day, but took a break for a while. I've recently decided to restart my writing journey. This is the first of many pieces I have in my drafts - please let me know if you enjoy it, if you'd like to see more from me, and if you have any suggestions! I would really appreciate it.

This story is inspired by "Too Sweet" by Hozier, which I have been playing on repeat for days at this point.

Also, if you'd like to be friends, please reach out! I would love to get to know you!

Summary: Sebastian has a problem, and that problem is his best friend. She is simply too sweet for him, and can't get her out of his head. Will he do something about his feelings, or choose to continue to keep them a secret? (She/Her Pronouns, House Neutral)

Word Count: 2.6 K

______________________________________________________________

10 am was typically when Ominis could expect his dear friend and roommate to show his head on a Saturday morning. Though Sebastian always managed to get up for classes for time, the weekend struggle of being left to his own devices never seemed to evade him.

Ominis raised an eyebrow as he felt the brunette sit in his typical spot, with a bit rougher descent than usual. To the casual observer, Sebastian’s hair looked particularly unruly this morning - a sure fire sign he had an “interesting” night.

Without even bidding Ominis good morning, Sebastian poured himself a large cup of black coffee. He inhaled the scent as he brought the mug to his lips, hoping it may bring him back to life. The first sip was always the best to him - his now typical 3 am escapades had made him dependent on the bitter substance. And at this point, he honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Sebastian reveled in the night time, enjoying the time away from prying eyes, time where he could truly focus on his work.

Even without sight, Ominis could tell Sebastian had a rough night- The tell tale smell of smoke covered him, a sure fire sign that he had been up late practicing confrigo in the undercroft, or perhaps a more dangerous location.

Despite the events that had occurred during the end of his fifth year, eventually Anne had chosen to forgive him. After many long conversations, Anne had also given Sebastian the okay to continue with his research, but only if he swore to Merlin that he would no longer go anywhere near dark magic. So far, he had managed to keep his nose clean- but his desire to help his sister his sister was strong as ever, so he opted to spend as much time as he could looking for a cure. It being his seventh year with N.E.W.T.S quickly approaching, Sebastian had been struggling to find time during the day to work on anything other than his studies. Despite the common misconception, Sebastian was actually one of the best students in his year. Having grown up with professors for parents, a jest for learning was instilled within him from early life.

So far, Sebastian had managed to stick to his plan: study during the day, research at night. The one downfall to Sebastian’s focus was Y/N. Ever perfect, sickeningly sweet Y/N, who seemed to be unaware of how absolutely mad she drove him.

Though he wouldn’t admit it to himself, Sebastian had been in love with her since she first knocked him on his ass during Defense Against the Dark Arts. Being one of the best duelist at Hogwarts, Sebastian was not used to being beat so easily- Especially by someone who had only know of the existence of magic for less than a year. Though they were good friends and spent exorbitant amounts of time together in the undercroft, Sebastian still could never get enough of her. Her presence was like a drug to him. He often found his eyes stuck to her during lessons, during meals, basically any time she was in the near vicinity of him. Right now, his eyes tracked her across the great hall, as she had an animated conversation with Garreth. He stared, trying to determine what topic had gotten her so excited, hoping that one day he may be able to bring it up “accidentally”. His focus was so great that he barely noticed Ominis’s hand waving in front of his face.

“Earth to Sebastian… Are you still in there?” The blonde looked at him, puzzled, until he followed Sebastian’s gaze. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a slightly disappointed sigh.

Sebastian startled a bit, and turned to look at his friend. “Yes, what exactly did you want to talk about Ominis?” Ominis muttered something to himself about Sebastian’s inability to listen to any one but himself, before responding.

“I had asked if you were still planning on going to the Three Broom Sticks tonight. Natty, Poppy, Imelda, and Amit are all insisting we go.” Sebastian looked down at the table, taking another sip of his coffee, trying to weigh his options.

“You might just have to go without me, I have a very interesting lead that I-”

“Y/N will be there.” Ominis cut him off with a slight smirk on his face, waiting for his friend’s reaction.

“On second thought… Perhaps you could count me in. I could also read more of my book from there.” Sebastian let out a sheepish smile as Ominis tisked, not surprised at Sebastian’s sudden change of heart at all.

Sebastian looked away, drawing another long sip from his coffee, before looking up. To his surprise, he found the object of his unadmitted obsession standing right before him.

Y/N had walked over, clearly excited about something, as she eagerly took a seat across from the boys at the Slytherin table. “Well if it isn’t my two favorite friends! How are you on this fine moment.” Sebastian let out a soft chuckle, studying her face with a gentle smile.

“Nothing much… What’s got you all excited today?” Y/N grinned, leaning in a bit more to whisper to the two.

“Well, I just found out its Imelda’s birthday today. And I was thinking it would be a wonderful idea to throw her a surprise party! We’re all going to the Three Broom Sticks anyway- might as well set up a few decorations while we’re at it.”

Ominis let out a slight huff, looking at Y/N with a puzzled look on his features. “Are you sure she won’t have your head for doing that- I mean, this is Imelda we’re talking about. I don’t really want to clean up whatever blood is spilled from the after math.” Y/N let out a chuckle, taking Ominis’s hand and squeezing gently.

“While I appreciate the concern, I’m sure it’ll be okay. I’m going to make it Quidditch themed!” She grinned in excitement, sending a small shiver down Sebastian’s spine. He longed to be the cause of that type of grin one day.

Ominis shook his head, giving her a small smile. “If you say so, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Sebastian choose to chime in at that point, “Let me know if you need any help. I’m not exactly sure what I could do, but I’d be happy to assist in any way possible.” Y/N looked thoughtful as she poured herself a cup of coffee from the same pitcher Sebastian had used earlier - the only difference being that she choose to dump an exorbitant amount of sugar and milk into her mug too. She preferred her morning beverage sickly sweet, quite the opposite of Sebastian. Still Sebastian found it endearing, he loved watching her try to make the perfect concoction… Gosh, he was a goner.

Ominis, a bit disturbed by the silence at the table, choose to elbow Sebastian in the side at that moment. “Anyway, it was great to see you Y/N. Sebastian and I must be going. I need to pick up some supplies from Pippins.” Ominis stood, waiting for Sebastian to join him.

Sebastian stood as well, flashing her one last smile. “Send an owl if you need me.” He followed Ominis out of the great hall, much to his dismay.

_____________________________________________________________

Spring had just begun to show its face as Sebastian and Ominis approached the path to Hogsmeade. The sun was out, which added a bit of warmth to an otherwise chilly day. The trees still hadn’t recovered their leaves from the fall prior, but the grass was beginning to show hints of green, a surefire sign that warmer days were soon to come. Lost in silent contemplation, Sebastian had his arms crossed behind his back as they meandered at a casual pace. Eventually, Ominis broke the silence with a question that Sebastian had been dreading asking himself.

“So, when are you planning on divulging your feelings to Y/N?” Ominis said expectingly. Truth be told, he had begun to grow a bit tired of his friend's endless pining. At first, it was heart warming to see 5th year Sebastian focused on someone other than Anne for once. But at this point, especially with graduation approaching, Ominis hoped his friend would build up the courage to do something about his feelings that seemed to be almost all consuming.

Sebastian sighed, running a hand through his hair as he often did when worried - it was his nervous tick. Sebastian considered his options, but he was long past being able to lie to Ominis about his feelings at this point. Everyone with eyes, except for Y/N of course, seemed to be aware of the brunette’s strong feelings for a certain ancient magic yielder. “Honestly Ominis… Probably nothing. Truth be told, I think she’s too good for me. You see how selfless she is- she constantly puts everyone before herself, running errands for them. How could she possibly like someone like me? I mean,” he let out a small chuckle, “I can barely keep up with my work. And I almost drove her down the path of dark magic once… Who says she even really trusts me at this point? She’s too sweet for me. She be better off with someone like Garreth.”

Ominis let out a small sigh as he continued to walk, a bit displeased by his friend’s ignorance of the situation. After all, it was pretty obvious that Y/N returned his affections if one took the time really observe the situation. After all, Y/N had told Ominis just last week that she had actually turned down Garreth when he asked her on a date. Ominis considered telling Sebastian this tad bit of information, but decided to keep it to himself instead. Sebastian needed to figure this out on his own.

By this time, they had reached the bridge and were joining the busier streets of Hogsmeade. “Whatever you say Sebastian, but I think you’re wrong about her. Perhaps you should try a make an advance at the party tonight.”

Sebastian let out a chuckle at that, shaking his head. “You’re impossible… but perhaps I’ll try, should the opportunity present itself. Its also funny, I think this is the first time you’ve actually admitted you have feelings for her.” Sebastian punched him gently in the arm at that, letting out a small huff.

They made their way to Pippins, only stopping to throw a spare coin in Ernie’s hat as he put on yet another one of his magical street displays. Truth be told, Sebastian had a decent feeling about tonight. Though he was still hesitant to potentially affect their friendship, his feelings for Y/N had reached a breaking point.

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After their Hogsmeade excursion, Sebastian and Ominis had made their way back to the castle to prepare for the recently declared surprise party. Typically Sebastian wore whatever he could pull out of his closet first. This time though, he took his time trying to decide between his limited collection of jumpers. Growing frustrated, he flopped back on his bed in the dorm he and Ominis shared, startling his roommate a bit.

In typical Ominis fashion, Ominis was already ready to go and looking rather dashing at that. Sebastian often found it ironic that his blind friend could clean up better than he could - not that it was hard to do, Sebastian tended to rely on his decent looks to make a good impression.

“Are you almost ready to go Sebastian? We need to leave in 5 minutes if we don’t want to be late for the festivities.” Sebastian let out a groan, staring up at the dark green canopy that covered his plush bed.

“Almost, I just can’t decide what jumper to wear. I’m thinking maybe the green one?”

“How very Slytherin of you. I think that’ll be fine, Sebastian. If you’re worried about Y/N, I think she’ll like whatever you wear.” Sebastian relented and pulled on his favorite green jumper, running a brush through his hair a couple of times (for the first time in longer than he’d like to admit), and even added some the woodsy cologne Anne had gifted him for Christmas as a special touch. Looking in the mirror, he felt his outfit was suitable enough for a party. His brown boots, khaki trousers, and dark green jumper all suited him nicely. For good measure, he grabbed a book, just in case he should find himself in a situation where he needed it. It was rare nowadays to find him without one, anyway.

Once he was fully ready, Ominis ushered him out the door, eager to depart the Slytherin common room before Imelda had the opportunity to try and hound them for information as to why everyone was suddenly acting strange.

Thankfully, they made it out of the castle interrogation-free, and started making their way towards Hogsmeade for the second time that day.

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Not that he had ever doubted her, but what Y/N had managed to pull off in just a day was truly amazing. As Sebastian and Ominis walked into the Three Broom Sticks, they were greeted with a full range of decorations - green streamers crowded the ceiling, confetti containing mini brooms and snitches was splashed across the tables, which were also covered in deep green table clothes. Music was playing in the background, a testament to Y/N’s ability to plan. She truly thought of everything.

As the pair made their way over to the bar, Y/N ran to meet them, engulfing them in a massive group hug.

“You made it! I was getting concerned that you wouldn’t show up. I wouldn’t be a party without the whole gang here!” She gave them a toothy grin that made Sebastian’s stomach turn. He had to admit, though he typically regarded himself as a strong person, she had a way of making him turn into absolute putty in her hands. If she flashed that smile at him, he would simply do anything she requested, without hesitation.

Ominis broke Sebastian’s pining thoughts with a small chuckle. “Well, I’m sorry if we were almost late. But I’ll have you know that its because our dear friend here couldn’t decide on a jumper. For twenty whole minutes.” At that, Sebastian laughed sheepishly, rubbing his neck with his hand as his eyes pointed towards the floor.

“What can I say, I dress to impress.”

After a few more pleasantries, Y/N had to return to host duties and disappeared from sight. This left Sebastian and Ominis to the bar, where Sebastian intended on staying. Typically, he would have a drink and hand and start making the rounds, perhaps sliding a few flirtatious remarks towards any fellow Hogwarts students that caught his fancy. In this instance, however, it felt almost traitorous. It had since he had developed feelings for her. Honestly, it had felt that way since the day he met her. The first day, when she handed him his ass in DADA and still had the audacity to be nice about it.

Giving Sirona a proper greeting, Sebastian soon enough had his beloved butterbeer in hand. The sickly sweet syrup of the drink always seemed to sooth him, reminding him that no matter how dark his thoughts may sometimes get, at least sweet things exist. One of those was Y/N. His thoughts simply couldn’t escape her at this point, replaying her like the melody from a song one has heard multiple times, but could never place. Somehow, he instantly knew her and didn’t - but he certainly longed to learn more.

Ominis let out a small huff, tapping Sebastian’s arm lightly. “Sebastian, you are still there, aren’t you? You’re rather quiet… Especially for you.” Sebastian sighed, and gripped Ominis’s arm, mulling over his next words.

“Yes I am… and I think it’s time that I finally do something about my feelings for Y/N.”

[sexy-sapphic-sorcerer]

1: Magic is a Metaphor > 2: Morgana is a Lesbian > 3: Merlin is Gay > 4: Arthur is Bi

Obviously, magic is a metaphor for being gay. It is something that you're born with, that you can't change, but that you have to hide because the society around you won't accept you. Both Merlin and Morgana are always saying that they've been made to feel like a monster, an outsider, and they just want to be accepted for who they really are. And it's no coincidence that they are the most queer coded characters in the whole show.

But building off of that subtext, I think that you can read the different way that Merlin and Morgana go about trying to achieve equal rights as being an allegory for queer identity politics, where Merlin embodies this homonationalist assimilation strategy. He believes that if he stays closeted and conforms to the status quo, then eventually he will prove that sorcerers are good, moral, normal people and therefore worthy of rights. But over time, he internalises all of this shame and self-hatred and becomes increasingly obsessed with Arthur and dependent on his validation until he becomes complicit in his own oppression.

Meanwhile, Morgana represents a radical rebellion ideology. Even though she comes from a place of privilege, she quickly realises that she can't achieve meaningful change through constitutional methods and therefore resorts to violent protest. But her downfall is that she's more motivated by personal vengeance than a genuine desire for equality. So she creates a lot of infighting within the community by shunning anyone whose ideas aren't as extreme as her own, and she inadvertently confirms all of the negative stereotypes about 'angry witches' that she has been trying to fight against.

Obviously I don't think that all of this political commentary is intentional, but the basic idea of magic being gay is definitely intentional. As evidenced by this quote from the executive producer of the show, where he says very sarcastically, "some people say that (magic) is a metaphor for his sexuality, but that's just read in by them, isn't it? On no level is magic metaphorical in this show." And then Katie McGrath says, "it's funny because I don't actually think you're being sincere." And then she says directly to the audience, "Julian is lying right now."

[specialagentlokitty]

Merlin (kingsman) x reader - you’re safe here

if you do still write for kingsman (i saw it on ur list but i havent seen it on your blog in a very long time) could you do a merlin x reader where reader has been hiding an @bvsive relationship from everyone, but one day shows up to his door with cvts and bruises everywhere??💟💟 - Anon💜

T/W: mentions of abusive relationship

Part of being a kingsman was to keep your personal and work life very separate from one another.

And when it came down to that, you were amazing at it, the two lives never intertwined with each other in any way, shape or form.

And perhaps that is what your downfall was as well.

What was supposed to be a loving relationship had turned into a hell on earth for you, and there wasn’t anything you could do about it.

You were a master at hiding everything, so nobody you worked with suspected a thing, and your partner hated you wouldn’t tell them anything about your work life.

They accused you of everything.

Cheating.

Stealing.

Lying.

Manipulation.

Whatever you could be accused off you were, even though it was the other way around.

And there was nothing you could do about it.

You wanted to fight back, but you were scared, and when it came down to it you couldn’t bring your hand to hit them like you could anybody else.

You were stuck in a world of fear and it was eating away at you slowly.

But it had never been so bad before, never had you feared for your life so much, been on the verge of collapsing in your own legs as you climbed out of your car.

You didn’t have anywhere else to go.

You didn’t know where to find anybody else.

And you were scared that you would be followed if you went to the hospital, and terrified what would happen if you went to the police.

Slowly closing your car door you walked over to the house and rang the bell, slumping yourself against the railing, wheezing for breath.

“Who is it?”

You looked up at the intercom, letting out a pained breath.

“P..please…” you whispered.

You weren’t even sure if he would’ve been able to hear it, but you couldn’t form anymore words.

You heard running down, and the door was thrown open.

Merlin immediately crouched next to you, holding a gun out as he looked around.

When he was sure it was clear he put it away and wrapped your arm around his shoulder.

“This is going to hurt.”

With that, he lifted you up and you held back a pained scream.

Merlin helped you inside and set you down in the sofa, locking the door as he began to rush round gathering everything he could find.

Coming back over, he sat down on chair in front of you, settling some bags of ice down.

He went to reach out and you flinched.

“I would never hurt you, you’re alright.” He said softly.

He slowly reached out again, moving your arms from your ribs.

“Can I?”

You shook your head.

“Alright, I just need to make sure they’re not broken.”

He placed his hands on your ribs, gently feeling and you winced.

“Bruised but that’s all.”

It was calming to hear him telling you what he was doing so you knew everything that was happening. There was no nasty surprises.

Your breathing was pained, and every time he reached out you would flinch.

It broke his heart to see you like this.

He knew you as one of the strongest agents, never had you been injured on a mission.

Now here you were sat on his sofa, bruises forming, covering in cuts, blood stained your clothing. You were in so much pain.

And there was nothing he could do to help you aside from tending to your injures, cleaning them, bandaging them, putting ice on them.

When he was done, he took a small breath.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

You weakly shook your head.

“Alright, I’ll be back in one moment.”

Merlin left, and he came back not long after.

“Come on, let’s get you somewhere more comfortable.”

He helped you up, slowly walking up the stairs with you and took you to his room, letting you sit on the bed.

He covered you up, and sighed as he looked at you.

“Get some rest, we can talk in the morning when you’re ready.”

He went to leave and you stopped him.

“Do you want me to stay?”

You nodded.

He took the chair from his desk and brought it over, sitting next to the bed holding your hand while you laid down.

At first you didn’t sleep, but pain and exhaustion took over and you let sleep take over.

And Merlin sat there watching over you, he had already his laptop, and he was going through security footage from your building to figure out what went on.

He was going to figure this out.

Then whoever had dared to hurt you like this was going to pay dearly for what they had done to you.

But Merlin could only hope you could heal from this, and that you would let him protect you

[regulusrules]

When I say Merlin is my comfort show, I probably should strictly elaborate that I mean S1 Merlin. Although most of my favourite episodes are not even in that season, but it just brings insane levels of comfort. Really, why the fuck did the writers deviate so much from it? If for the "character development" narrative, there's literally nothing that was not perfect about their characterizations in s1:

Banter boyfriends? Check.

Exponentially affecting each other both positively and (sometimes tinges of) negatively? Check.

“I see your village is raided.. one sec I'll follow you till the end of earth to protect you and all those you care about.” Check.

Able to mentally grow from the restraining mindsets of Uther (and in Merlin's case Kilgharrah) when they consolidated together in letting go of Mordred despite being told the reverse. (Which was one of the reasons for their downfall, being held back by thoughts and actions that were not their own). Check.

Arthur actually saving the day with the assistance of Merlin's magic (ep4) which he does not reject and rather owe his gratitude to? (something that was later on lost as they insisted on fixating on Merlin's solo savings). Check.

“Is that poison? Here. Lemme drink it for you.” Check, check and check.

God we were so robbed of them being them in the most significant aspect. A continuation of s1's characterization should've actually involved Arthur figuring out on his own, them a duo working on bringing magic back to Albion (even if you still want to end it by killing Arthur, at least the whole core of the show wouldn't have been lost), and not the bleeding out of the same tropes and the same villains over and over without ever reaching to a point. I really get the argument of sticking to the legends, and I don't mind it, but they didn't stick to the legends from the beginning which baited us into thinking it will get resolved happily.

But to be fair, Arthur did get a relatively good character development. His transition from prince to prince regent to king was really done well. You see him growing to being more empathetic and more honour-driven. But he still should've been represented as the almighty king he was, not one who didn't have 2 braincells to figure out that his closest human being had been hiding from him for 10 years. And on the other side of the coin, Merlin should've had the chance to be Emrys, by all BAMF meanings of the word, not overshadowed for a whole decade without ever having the love and appreciation he deserved. He shouldn't have needed to turn bitter and obsessed. They shouldn't have resorted to just 48 hrs of Arthur knowing.

Honestly, I love this show as-is with an extent I cannot even describe sometimes, but their character development took a turn different from the one they truly deserved. Instead of filler episodes, they could have focused more on Arthur and Merlin's relationship, Arthur and Merlin growing, Arthur and Merlin succeeding.

[tiredcowboyy]

The time between us

Random fic idea about merlin, arthur and morgana somehow coming face to face with their younger and older selves and having to talk to them? (If anyone has any recs pls share)

Like the idea of young merlin being so excited about life and though hes slowly realising how different he is and that some of the villagers in ealdor arent as kind to him as others, he still loves life and is full of joy and LOVES his magic (maybe this all happens just after arthur finds out about merlins magic and it helps him process it easier by also talking to young merlin)

but it slightly breaks older merlins heart at how innocent he was, how happy and loving and pure and simple life was and how much he loved his magic, wheres now, though he still loves it, its a weight on his shoulders. He just wants to hug younger him for hours.

Arthur sees the opposite in his younger self. He sees how isolated he was. How touch starved and unsure in himself and how truly unloved he was. He sees it, for the first time he truly sees, especially compared to young merlin, that young arthur lived to impress others and thats it. He didnt have any love or any joy or any childlike excitement, he was trying to age as quickly as possible to impress those around him and thats it. Both arthurs watch both Merlins interact, unlike them who are hugging, theres a solid space between the two princes, the elder is left wondering how much better life would have been if he grew up with merlin.

Morgana doesnt know what to do when she looks at her younger self. She sees a smart and fun girl, one that loves adventures but also the beauty of life. Not a girl being tormented by even her own thoughts. Much like merlin and Arthur, she feels a little heartbroken at what she sees.

After a day of shenanigans with their younger selves, theyre faced with an older version of themselves.

Merlin finds his older self at the crack of dawn, and when Arthur asks the older sorcerer, who hasnt changed all that much, he says the older prat will be along shortly.

When arthur finds himself that afternoon he sees a strong and admirable king, but what shocks him is how relaxed he seems. A gentle giant almost, face adorned with smile lines and hair still a soft gold. Hes clearly older but he doesnt look like time hasnt been kind. They talk for hours, the older often laughing at arthurs worries because in the end he still overthinks everything, much like he had thought about his younger the day before. The older gives the prince advice, but often it ends with keep those around him close, especially them who he loves, as love is what helps him be the king he becomes. (Arthur doesnt miss the kings soft gaze that lands on merlin.)

Morgana much like arthur only finds herself after lunch, but she doesnt expect what she faces. She sees a soft woman, one who still adorns royal gowns and looks though wiser, just as she does now. She demands to know if she manages to take what she deserves, to rule Camelot as she sees fit. To use her magic to her fullest strength. Her elder watches her with soft eyes before hugging her, a real hug, one she doesnt often get from people aside gwen.

Her older self eventually pulls away and moves back before shifting to a more disheveled version of herself. One thats hair is matted and dress ripped. One that scares morgana because she doesnt truly recognise herself. She closes her eyes for a second and when she looks back she sees the calmer version from before.

Her older explains that thats the path morgana falls down if she continues the way she is. She explains how the reason she wasnt there this morning is because when morgana goes against camelot and arthur, she doesnt survive. She explains emrys, camlann and her entire downfall and morganas left confused because how can someone come back from all of that.

Her older just smiles at the question and says she was given a second chance, a chance to change and go back to the point current morgana is at, a chance to make the right change for people like her rather than bringing the world down with her. (Much like arthur, morgana doesnt miss the look her older gives merlin, though unlike arthurs, her olders gaze is more admirable) She tells morgana that she was simply more patient the second time around, she waited and after uthers death, who brings on his own downfall, the world simply rights itself.

Morganas flustered, because theres no way arthur pendragon, son of uther, would ever look magic in the eyes and welcome it into the kingdom. Theres no way that magic can live free and that her powers wont be restricted. Her older laughs and tells her all about how her and Arthur rule camelot fair and together, and with the help of some others, eventually magic is eventually accepted in the world. But to get that, she mustn’t fall down the path shes on. She mustn’t burn the world with her but simply wait and work with it. Morganas left in tears by the end of it all.

Merlin on the other hand feels nauseous. He guesses early on in the day that older morgana and arthur dont show up at the same time as his older self because the original version of themselves didn’t have a future.

His older explains how he suffered, how he lived through the battle of camlann and had to see the kings last breath. How he waited for centuries and how under arthurs rein magic was never fully accepted.

He explains how that stupid dragon doesnt know everything.

He explains how eventually he figured out how to go back, to fix everything, and when he got it right god was it right. How morgana didnt turn evil, how uthers rein was still cut short and arthur, with merlin at his side, eventually legalises magic. How on their original paths, the paths of their destiny, the weight of the world is what took them to their demise. How some simple changes, changes everything really. He explains it all and by the end merlin feels dizzy.

But with the way older merlin smiles at older arthur, and the gentle, adoring, smile he gets back, merlin realises god its really going to be worth it.

Only those three got this experience those days, well, those three and gwaine who spent the entire time with his younger self playing games and his older self drinking. A simple couple of days really. He doesnt understand when merlin tells him few years later that it changed their lives, because really? Alls older gwaine had said was to place high bets on arthur making the first move!

(Idk it just started off by me wanting angst between young merlin and arthur and older them but then I spiralled)

[lily-on-the-fence]

Watching Merlin again and damn Uther is fucking *intense*

Like he's just riding the line where you think he's cool and then someone goes against him and he's like "okay. Let me kill someone you love. As punishment." Or "okay. Let me make it perfectly clear that despite promising your fsther I'd protect you, if you do this again i will kill you."

And he's fucking serious too, like the only oerson he won't kill is Arthur and to be honest if Arthur showed up with magic idk what Uther would do.

His story is one of being so scared and so hateful that he cannot help but make enemies of anyone who has to interact with him, thereby creating his own downfall.

It's fucking tragic dude

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Title: Lords of Northumbria and Wessex swore allegiance to Uther 🛡️

Interesting note: Northumbria and Wessex are both located outside of Camelot.

Nevertheless, Wessex’s second son Grimond and Eldred's fourth son, Richard, are all eligible to be knights of Camelot because of their families allegiance. 📝

Episode: "Lancelot" questions #2

Questions by @tansyuduri

Tagging: @miyriu

Books used for reference: Merlin Villians Guide, Merlin Complete Guide, A Fighting Chance, Valiant and The Traitor Within

Question: If Uther created the knights of Camelot? What was there previously when he conquered the kingdom?

My answer: We know Uther took the kingdom through conquest and made himself king by conquering all his opponents, all without knights.

So it’s possible that Camelot originally had mercenaries (like Cenred’s kingdom employs), and that once he conquered the Citidal, he created the knights in order to put the only people he trusted in a position of power… the nobles.

The First Code of Camelot was created to ensure that only noble families could serve as knights and those families were the ones who had sworn allegiance to him.

So the existence of that code hints strongly that Uther conquered the kingdom with the help of the noble families and then afterwards he granted them the opportunity to be knights.

… Or at least that’s the option that makes the most sense to me given the existence of the “First Code of Camelot” and Uther’s mistrust of anyone but nobles.

Book description:

Uther did not inherit the throne, but made himself king by conquering all his opponents.

- The first stage of her plan had been achieved. For the first time in three hundred years the Knights of Medhir had been woken. The final downfall of Uther Pendragon had begun.

- UTHER CONQUERS: Into this land came Uther Pendragon, who made himself king through conquest and took the citadel of Camelot as his royal palace. He set about bringing order to the land. Magic was tolerated - after all, it had always been part of the world; who could imagine a land without sorcery?

- NOBILITY:

To Uther, only nobles have any worth.

Those of lesser rank may become well regarded - Gaius, for example - but their fortune is entirely dependent on the king's whims.

Question: What about the Knights of Medhir?

Were the Knights of Camalot disbanded or something following the abuses of the Knights of Medhir?

My answer: The Knights of Medhir existed three centuries before Uther's reign.

So I don’t think what happened to these particular seven noblemen, played any part in why Camelot didn’t have any knights at the time Uther conquered it.

Morgause also mentions in “The Traitor Within” book, that for the first time in three hundred years, the Knights of Medhir have been awoken.

Book description:

Three centuries before Uther's reign, seven noble knights were seduced by a sorcerer and became a terrible force that swept through the land, bringing death and destruction.

When the sorcerer was defeated, the knights became statues in the Fortress of Idirsholas, and there they stayed silent and still until they were revived by Morgause.

- For the first time in three hundred years the Knights of Medhir had been woken. The final downfall of Uther Pendragon had begun.

Question: Does this mean every Camelot knight we see comes from Camelot nobility?

Does this mean Camelot owns some part of Western Isles (Valiant’s heraldry implied Ireland, so Camalot owns part of Ireland?)

Or can it be from any nobility? Even if it's not sworn to him? And Northumbria mentioned later is also Camelot but there are still other kingdoms?

My answer: No. Every knight of Camelot does not need to come from Camelot nobility.

Both Northumberland and Wessex are outside of Camelot, but their lords and the sons of those families are eligible to be knights.

Lord Wessex has pledged allegiance to King Uther and so has Lord Eldred of Northumberland (despite living outside Camelot; given how they are listed in the official guide on the “Outside Camelot” page)

Their families loyalty makes Wessex’s second son Grimond, eligible to be a knight of Camelot and so is Eldred's fourth son, Richard,

WESSEX - lord with allegiance to Uther

Merlin chose Northumbria for the forged seal of nobility, because it was a long way away, and as far as he knew, there were none of Eldred's relations in Camelot.

2. Western Isles is listed on the “Outside Camelot” page, so it’s definitely not part of the kingdom and on the map, it’s actually located seemingly on the outside of Caerleon’s borders.

The Isle of the Blessed, Forest of Balor, Ealdor and The Western Isles are all outside of Camelot’s borders.

Book description:

He paused at the colourful crest for Richard, fourth son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria.

Well, Northumbria was a long way away, and there were none of Eldred's relations in Camelot as far as he knew.

OUTSIDE CAMELOT…

NORTHUMBERLAND

Lord Eldred of Northumberland has sworn loyalty to Uther, and his sons are therefore eligible to become knights of Camelot.

Lancelot masquerades as Eldred's fifth son - but Uther is aware that Eldred's fourth son, Richard, was his last.

WESSEX

The lord of Wessex has also given his allegiance to Uther.

However his second son, Grimond, failed a trial to join the knights of Camelot.

[saijspellhart]

FE7 Uther Character Analysis! (Hector’s older brother)

Stuff I’ve learned about Uther’s character while delving deep deep deep into FE7 lore and support conversations.

Uther can be treacherous. (Matthew and Oswin have a convo where they admit that Uther has a talent for treachery that Hector does not)

Uther can be impatient, and actually prefers making quick decisions rather than waiting around. Which is interesting given how much he manipulates people like chess pieces.

Uther secretly supported Lyn’s succession to the Caelin throne, even though the other marches were supposed to remain impartial.

Uther for sure sent Matthew to assist Lyn in her succession. (Though he was not supposed to.) but why the fuck was Serra given a body guard and sent on a “quest” to bum-fuck nowhere, that just happened to be in Lyn’s path, and suddenly her quest was not so important that she “abandoned” it to help Lyn. Why is it that the ONLY Marquess to lend Lyn any of their retainers was Uther? And he lent two. DESPITE his supposed neutrality during the succession. (But Matthew revealed that was a bluff, and Uther backed her all the way. Neutral my ass.)

Uther manipulated his Brother to go help Eliwood, without making it look as if he supported Eliwood’s cause, or Hector’s actions. (He needed to appear impartial as all the other marches had spies observing his actions and decisions, and openly supporting Eliwood would put Ostia in a precarious position, Especially since Uther is head of the Lycian League.) The man clearly knows how to play his Brother like a pawn. But in a good way.

Uther sent Leila to investigate the Black Fang and Lord Elbert’s missing whereabouts, despite claims that he has no interest in the matter, and Ostian won’t get involved. (Lies)

Uther keeps everything close to the chest. And withholds important information from even his own Brother. It seems Oswin is one of the only people he trusts implicitly.

Uther is both shrewd and pragmatic, as is evidenced by his dismantling of House Cornwall, another March in Lycia.

Oswin reveals in a support with Priscilla that Uther sent Oswin to investigate the matter regarding House Cornwall and whether or not Marquess Cornwall and his wife were stealing/embezzling Lycian funds. Oswin reveals this to be true. And that he and Uther played a part in the downfall of House Cornwall, Lady Priscilla and Lord Raven’s home. (Thus Raven’s grudge against Ostia and by extension, Hector.)

The whole incident with House Cornwall happened when Priscilla and Raven were small, so it stands to reason that Uther has been Marquess of Ostia for quite sometime. Probably since Hector was 10 or younger. Given the timeline of events, Uther couldn’t have become Marquess of Ostia anytime recent to the events of FE7.

The etymology of Uther’s name: “Uther Pendragon is the name of King Arthur's father, who traditionally fell in love with the Count of Cornwall's wife, Igerne, and attacked Cornwall to win her. Merlin, knowing that Arthur was to be born of Uther and Igerne, helped Uther disguise himself as the Count so that he could sneak into Tintagel, the Count's stronghold, and conceive Arthur with Igerne. That night, the Count also died, and Uther later married Igerne.”

Uther was inspired by a man famous for seducing another man’s wife. (I’m laughing my ass off that I chose to write a fic where Uther steals his Brother’s fiancée. It was entirely accidental, I was not aware of the lore surrounding Uther Pendragon when I wrote the fic. It was for all intents meant to be a crack fic. But now I’m dying inside from laughter and coincidence.)

Uther had an unused General class, which I find very interesting given he has TB, and that armor must be a bitch to wear. But this implies that Uther, like Hector, has immense constitution and fortitude. He’s definitely not a small or frail man, even if he’s ill.

Uther raised Hector like a father figure after their parents died, which implies that their parents died at least some time before the events of the game. Hector would have been much younger if he still needed a father figure in his older brother.

Implied that the Illness (likely a form of fantasy TB) that killed Uther is the same illness that took his and Hector’s parents.

Not lore related, but it can sometimes take years and years for someone to expire from TB, so Uther could have been afflicted by it for years before he succumbed to it.

Anyway, I am FASCINATED by this character. He’s so duplicitous. Like, he’s clearly a good guy, but also flaunts some interesting manipulative tendencies. And I think Matthew and Oswin’s in game conversation where they assess that Uther is treacherous is very intriguing. Like even his retainers recognize that this man has some darker edges to his otherwise good character.

I hate that he’s become one of my favorite characters despite him hardly being in FE7 at all. I seriously did not set forth to adore this character as much as I have. But I love me a morally dubious good guy. And for as little information the games give us about Uther, he’s a surprisingly complex character.

[avirxy]

Angst/Horror prompts: “I gave you everything and this is how you repay me?” for Morgana and “Breathe slowly, show no signs of fear.” for Mary.

Fury, cannot properly describe her simmering mood.

Morgana has been many, many things, a docile princess, an apprentice, a witch, a traitor, the mother of monsters. The list could be parchments long, she’s choosing not to dwell on it.

But now as she is knelt here, forced into a shallow bow before the throne her father once sat, a cruel man in itself.

She’s next in line to befall a horrific fate under the crown.

“Death isn’t enough,” Arthur decrees, pointing Excalibur down at her, in his shadow, below him, “not for you, dear sister.”

She fights the sneer trying to twist her lips. Showing him her discontent will only fuel his pride. And its quite a wide expanse, he’s always been too prideful, even as children.

The manacles dig into her wrists, cutting at the skin, restricting her movements.

Even the knights stay a wary distance away, their swords glinting in the harsh sunlight through the stained windows.

“I gave you everything and this is how you repay me?” She asks pointedly.

Her filthy half brother raises a brow. “Everything? Is that how you dictate treason?”

“Treason,” Morgana laughs hoarsely, “I saved your life too many times to account for.”

“You freed those trolls! You and your magic wielding accomplices!” He bellows and the people nearest flinch, unsteady with the kings rage.

Her handmaiden is amongst the crowd, good, they hadn’t suspected her despite her hand in the freedom of the trolls. Dark eyes scowling up at Arthur, waiting.

Morgana can sense the darkness wafting closer to the girl, intertwining it’s vines of plague upon her.

It seems she’s already decided her fate all on her own, shard of dark magic included, Morgana will let her walk her own path, even if it falls into oblivion.

Some cannot be stopped, their will too powerful to calculate what they could lose, or perhaps they don’t care.

“Your slaves?” Morgana hisses, acknowledging her brother, “Those you bound unlawfully?”

Arthur raises his chin, “Creating those creatures has been the final straw, those hideous amalgamations of human and filth.”

“They are the bridge, a sign of waning times.” She calmly announces. “Your reign is ending brother.”

“Preposterous!” Arthur swings Excalibur, red in the face with his rage. “The dungeons will be the last walls you see, your days end in a cell, wasting away.”

“Merlin, I want her taken—“

It seems then Arthur finally realizes his powerful wizard was never in the room to begin with, what he thought was his shadow wastes away into the dark, a mere diversion.

Morgana smirks.

“You’ve underestimated me again brother, all of you have,”

Murmurs fill the crowd, her handmaiden has stepped back, weaving through the bodies to end up at the doors, the lock swinging between her digits menacingly.

The girl is an incredible listener, Morgana will give her that and as she hears it click into place, locking each and every person in attendance inside, all the corrupt dukes and duchess, nobles.

The cuffs are weak magic, Merlin’s power is great yes. But it cannot hope to defer the sheer magnitude of hate when infused with magic.

Iron slides off her wrists as she rises, and she gets the most satisfying experience of watching Arthur’s face twist in horror, her hand rising to aim a broiling gold blast straight at his chest.

“And that will be your downfall.”

(That one scene in the Wizards intro where they have a proper battle in the throne room would have been so sick, and this kinda..slots into Tulips of Time? In a way)

[thenntrewrite]

This is Part II of my list of NNT OCs for the rewrite:

Uther Pendragon: The father of Arthur and the husband of Igraine. He took a liking to Merlin around the time Arthur was born and had her appointed as his personal royal court mage. He also went along with the idea of giving up Arthur as a newborn to Sir Ector if it meant he’d prosper and would be safe. Uther was the King of Camelot until he became unfit when Arthur was sixteen. Since he was the current wielder of Excalibur, out of paranoia of being overthrown, he takes the sword and shoves it into the stone with all of his might, deeming that whoever pulls it out can be the new king (It was also a test for Arthur, who he knew to be old enough). Miraculously, when the sword was out of his possession, he became better. But a promise is a promise. He couldn’t be more proud of his own flesh and blood becoming the new king.

Guinevere Cameliard: The princess of Cameliard, and the daughter of Leodegrance. She's in an arranged marriage with Arthur Pendragon, and a student of magic. She's one of the first students of Aleron, who reluctantly takes the princess in after a few pushes from Arthur and Igraine. 

Leodegrance Cameliard: The father of Guinevere and the King of Cameliard. He's the best friend of Uther Pendragon, and one of his closest allies. He's taken a shine to Arthur and was the one to propose the arranged marriage. 

Ector: Arthur's adoptive father and Kay's biological one. Merlin gave the newborn to Ector, who took him in, not knowing that he was the prince of Camelot, and raised him as his own. He was the boy's personal trainer in swordsmanship. He was also Camelot's commander.

Vlasta: A demon that deflected from the Holy War centuries ago. Once a fierce-some warrior on the battlefield and a remarkable blacksmith, she sticks with Arne and they both decide to run a church and nunnery together. She's the head nun and one of Aleron's teachers. She and Arne eventually marry. Vlasta keeps an armory underneath the church and sharpens blades in her free time to keep herself from going rusty.

Arne: Often referred to as 'Father Arne', he's a demon that deflected from the Holy War and found comfort in a church who worshiped the Goddesses. On a whim, he decides to become a priest and speaks gospel about the Goddesses. He's one of Aleron's teachers, and enjoys drinking all the church's wine. Never drinks on the job, but after in the privacy of his home? It's all fair game.

Malvolia: Once a mage of the Kingdom of Tintagel and teacher of Aleron, after Gorlois died and Aleron abandoned the throne, she took over as ruler. Becoming powerful over time, she plots the downfall of everyone and anyone that was Gorlois' enemy. She considers Aleron an enemy of the nation as well.

Part I