#obsessed with the concept of merlin as a kingmaker

[adhd-merlin]

I am obsessed with this

[murasakikagekitsune]

A servant is not whole without a soul to wait upon

Lumiere, in the song ‘Be Our Guest’ (Beauty and the Beast)

For me, this is the single quote that proves Merthur is cannon. Granted, this may make the relationship one-sided, but after working almost obsessively to protect Arthur, Merlin is bound to develop some sort of feeling for his charge.

Additionally, he is made to believe Arthur can do no wrong, like some sort of divine savior. When he does do negative consequences, it is usually up to Merlin to fix those mistakes, rather than let Arthur face them himself independently.(With the exception of excorsising the boy’s spirit from Elyan’s body in 4x10.) This purpose of him, as the ‘Kingmaker’ will inevitably lead to hero worship, and eventually, over-protectiveness.

Furthermore, the whole purpose of Merlin’s being is to bring about destiny where Arthur becomes the king of the golden age of Camelot. He is made to believe that it is only purpose in life is to serve this man (Arthur). This leaves very little room for individual character development, because most of the character development Merlin faces is the result of Arthur’s actions, and vice versa. This duality of the two people leads to the point where Merlin is absorbed into Arthur’s actions so to speak. That is to say that because of this pre-set destiny concept, Merlin isn’t allowed to learn and grow and develop for his own purposes, because ‘his purposes’ are inexplicably linked with Arthur’s. He is allowed very little time to interact with the Druids, the only people who can show him what he can truly do. He cannot decide whether he wants to explore the limits of his magic, because he’s always doing it for Arthur.

As Merlin himself says to Arthur in the magic reveal scene in the dreaded 5x13 finale on Christmas Eve (I also think that the placing on Christmas Eve was deliberate, but that’s another matter.) “I use it only for you, Arthur. Only for you.” This creates a situation where co-dependency can flourish. Co-dependency can become dangerous for anyone, let alone an immortal wizard who cannot die. In the centuries after Arthur’s send- off to Avalon, Merlin spends them pining for him, because he’s always been told that his only purpose is to serve Arthur. To Merlin it must feel like the carpet has been pulled from underneath him, because for the first time in a very long time, Merlin has the possibility of choosing his own purpose without others choosing for him. Compound that with the fact that Merlin is now living in the modern (or at the very least, modern-ish) world, where nearly every tangible sign of Arthur’s existence has disappeared, he may very well be struggling to grasp modern concepts, all the while battling with these feelings for Arthur. Additionally, hammering home that Merlin’s only purpose is to protect Arthur, it is a possibility that Merlin might develop an obsession with him, as, for centuries, Merlin’s world has revolved around Arthur.