#pendragon armory

[thependragonwritersguild]

Prompt #14244

"That's one gnarly sword you got there."

[pendragonsclotpole]

lancelot’s magicdar is just that good i guess.

alternatively, lancelot was 100% a little bit in love with merlin but not as down bad as arthur which meant lancelot could keep it together enough to always pay attention to merlin but also realize merlin was casting spells and not saying sweet nothings

No but Lancelot is like the only character with working ears in the whole show like Merlin was almost speaking into Arthur's ear and he didn't hear him but Merlin was like meters away from Lancelot and he heard him casting the spell

[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

[thesparedata]

The King's New... Career?

// Media: BBC's The Adventures of Merlin (2008)

Premise: Arthur returns, back in the Dark/Middle Ages. Wanting to take a break from being king, or to put the past behind and start anew, he puts his skills as a warrior to use, as he has no other job skills. But destiny still wants its Once And Future King.

Seeking: All who would interact with the former and future ruler of Camelot who's briefly freed from the chains of commanding!

Camelot. It had been years since Arthur walked these streets and much had changed while he had not. He did some thinking when he'd first awoken in the woods near the Lake of Avalon. Part of him felt a duty to return to his throne but that duty had technically ended. By law, he was no longer Arthur Pendragon: Arthur Pendragon was dead. He could be anyone, do just about anything with his life! Though that was all true, he still felt drawn to the kingdom of his birth. He really wanted to see it prosper and flourish without him, to ensure its success, in whatever way he was able to.

Arthur had turned his cape emblazoned with the Pendragon coat of arms inside out and made it into a makeshift pack and carried Excalibur in it as he headed, still dressed in armor, towards the castle where work, food, and coin could be found for someone in need of it. He'd get a plainer sword from the armory, when he could. Excalibur was too unique and, though he didn't want to leave it, he didn't want to be identified by it. If he could become a simple man-at-arms, or a guard, or even a huntsman, who worked at the citadel, he'd have a front row seat in the shadows to observe and to aid. All he had to do is see where he could be needed most and think of what he could call himself. If he wasn't Arthur Pendragon, who could he be?

[tiodolma]

Forgot to add this to the other ask!

In summary, Morgan and Merlin from up until episode 9 end up in BBC Camelot's world and Morgana and Merlin from season 3 end up in Starz Camelot. King Arthur Pendragon is lost in translation with the younger Merlin and Morgana, while Prince Arthur Pendragon is crying bloody murder at the disappearance of his manservant and his foster sister and thinks these two strangers are at fault.

Morgan is gleeful that the rules of magic are different in this world. She's also making plans of getting rid of this Uther Pendragon. On the other hand, Merlin can do nothing by use his knowledge to not only keep the woman at bay from her machinations, but also help this Arthur become the king he's supposed to be.

In the other world, Merlin and Morgana learn that magic has rules that have consequences, so they have to use other skills to survive. It doesn't help Morgana is better than Merlin at this court life thing and that King Arthur genuinely likes this version of his sister.

LMAOOOOOOOO

Starz Merlin and Morgan in BBC Adventures of Merlin

Morgan: 2nd time to murder Uther here we goooooo

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

Meanwhile Merlin overhearing Arthur

Arthur: where is merlin i need him to polish my armor, muck out my stables, laundry my clothes, write my speeches and go with me on a hunt

Merlin: if this is how you treat someone like me, then you are not worthy of my service, you are not my king! (walks out)

Arthur: ????

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

Morgan: Merlin! have you tried the magic here yet?

Merlin: nope

Morgan: IT DOESNT GIVE ME PAIN

Merlin: you must be joking

Morgan: i shapeshifted into a cow yesterday and i didnt sweat blood

Merlin: goes to a lake and freezes the whole thing

Merlin: oh

Merlin: no wonder that other idiot is like that.

.......

Merlin: Are you going to kill this world's Uther too

Morgan: Are you going to stop me

Merlin: (sigh) this Arthur is already 25, my Arthur is already a king at 16. Honestly I dont even know why his father is still alive. My visions for this place are saying that Arthur will only take over when he's 40. By my initial calculations that's already too late.

Morgan: so....

Merlin: (shrugs)

.....

Arthur: How dare you speak to me like that! You are just a servant!

Merlin: know your place boy. You are only on that throne because I kept you alive

Arthur: hah no way! You?

Merlin: is this familiar (trees falling on theground using magic)

Arthur: You... you have magic

Merlin: I was born with it and my task has always been to keep you on the throne

Arthur: SORCERER! THIS IS TREASON! I WILL NOT STAND BY THIS!

Merlin: Your fear and hate is causing more suffering. Just like your father. You are making me regret everything I have done for you. If you don't shape up and repent then I will be in your service no more.

BBC Merlin and Morgana in Starz Camelot

Merlin: You are... actually younger than me.

Morgana: You are younger than us?

Arthur: ????? what.

Merln: This camelot is so... rural.. and needs work

Arthur: well yeah, we just started out. You were the one who found these ruins and established this encampent though. But it's okay we have an armory, we built this really nice table, we have a library, it's my favorite part you know? I get to conduct trials twice a week, etc etc, we're gonna put a roof over here soon so I'm learning different roof systems. Merlin often leaves for long periods of time so we've set up defenses and taught ourselves lots of stuff

Morgana (with tears in her eyes): YOU CAN READ?

Merlin: (openly sobbing?) THIS ARTHUR LIKES BOOKS... AND DOESNT NEED ME AT ALL TIMES??? I AM NOT A MANSERVANT???

Arthur: NO??? YOU ARE MY ADVISOR! Plus I grew up in a farm so why do i need a servant? And you have a whole penthouse deck at the top of the ruins where you do your magic stuff.

Arthur: But my sister lives in a Castle Pendragon...which is faaar better than this one, no shade at all... i love the startup nature of camelot tbh. Also my sister deserves to rule there anyway, coz that is where she grew up. It is a day's ride away from here. She manages that side of the kingdom for me. She's really good at it. Or I mean you are really good at it. We should all go there. The feasts you host are always the best.

Morgana: (clutches merlin) she actually gets her own castle

Merlin: ...THEY HAVE A LIBRARY HERE AN OPEN LIBRARY WHERE EVERYONE VISITS. AND I HAVE MY OWN ROOM

.........

Sir Gawain: HEY MERLIN DO U THINK U COULD PATCH THIS TREE UP WITH MAGIC

Merlin: ....how... what...

Morgana: Magic is not banned here???

Sir Gawain: it's rare but useful

Morgana: let me try

Sir Gawain: OwO

Morgana: my... stomach hurts

Merlin: tries to fix a broken chair

Merlin: ...i feel weaker..

Morgana: OH NO

Merlin; OH NO

......

Merlin: Are you still going to Usurp this arthur

Morgana: ...he doesnt hate magic, he's just, he lets me have part of the kingdom and also the better castle... and he says we always have dinners every two weeks

Merlin: even if you are the elder sister in this world?

Morgana: ...are you really trying to put ideas in my head

Merlin: i'm just making sure

Morgana: it's technically my right by order of birth

Merlin: but this is the kind of world we dreamed off

Morgana: a world where we are free.. and arthur understands me.. you can be honest here too.

Merlin: so you dont need the crown to be yourself in this world

Morgana: we'll see.

[groundbreakingdot872]

@pyjamacryptid you can stop right there actually!! :((

every fanart I see of Older!Arthur on my dash heals my soul you don’t understand

[ao3feed-gwainepercival]

I Want You To Give In

by TastyTaboo

“Yes, an advisory position on my council,” Arthur says, he looks very proud of himself. “After all, when the Druids leave I’ll need someone to advise me on all things magic and I trust you.”

It’s a nice sentiment, it always makes Merlin feel warm when he brings up their bond and their trust. It just also seems a little silly.

“I can advise you without some silly title and council seat,” she goes back to cleaning a pair of his training trousers with the scrub brush in her hand. “I’ve been doing it this long.”

Words: 27239, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Merlin (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Leon (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Morgana (Merlin), Gwen (Merlin), Lancelot (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Percival (Merlin), Elyan (Merlin), Mordred (Merlin)

Relationships: Leon/Merlin (Merlin), Leon/Merlin-Centric, Assorted Side Relationships, Morgana/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Mordred/Original Character, Elyan/Original Character

Additional Tags: Female Merlin (Merlin), Male-Female Friendship, Canon Era, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, King Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Arthur’s gone spare, Arthur Shenanigans, Court Sorceress Merlin, Non-Consensual Wardrobe Replacement, Good Friend Leon (Merlin), Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), Competent Merlin (Merlin), Leon’s Competency Kink, Cunnilingus, Hand Jobs, Sex in the Armory, Somehow I worldbuilded my way into 27k of plot, Mentioned Pregnancies - Epilogue, Pregnant Morgana (Merlin), Pregnant Merlin (Merlin), Pregnant Gwen (Merlin), POV Alternating, POV Third Person, POV Multiple

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/47826985

[witchmd13]

An analysis of the De Bois and the Pendragon’s family crests (and a few other interesting things):

So first, I’m gonna clear up some terms:

(I realize some of these might be common knowledge, but I’m not European, so most of these were totally new to me and since I’m making this post for everyone, I’m including the stuff I didn’t know in case anyone else didn’t as well. For obvious reasons, I’m going to focus on English crests). 

A crest is a part of the coat of arms for noble families, it’s the part that’s placed on the helm, the top part of the helmet (like in this picture I found on reddit. I have very little understanding of the rest of the stuff on it and since Merlin didn’t go into it, I didn’t bother doing detailed research on them).

The crest is generally used to tell people apart. We see Geoffrey use it to identify the Black Knight as Tristan De Bois because no other person used the same crest as him (more on that in a moment). It is usually used in tournaments to identify the knights participating, and in wars... etc. It’s passed down in families to the eldest son.

In wars, it makes more sense for people to wear the crest of their leader, which is why the knights of Camelot, for example, all from known noble families (at least in Uther’s time) wore the Pendragon crest.

Having a coat of arms is a Big Deal. It marks nobility, like we’ve seen in Lancelot’s episode, and is documented in official records to ensure no resemblance exists between it and any others. 

A sigil is a seal or a signature that carries the crest for people to use on letters and documents.

Heraldry is the science of the design and display of coat of arms and armory. It has rules to what can be and what can’t be put in a coat of arms and how to put it, from colors to animals to backgrounds. Everything has a meaning too and that’s what I’m going to be talking about here, even the position of an animal has its own rules as well. Words used in this science are mostly French, but I’m going to simplify it in English here because I can do whatever I want (akbvpajbvpai it’s a tumblr post, guys, not an article on heraldry. I’m gonna butcher a few things, sue me).

Now, for the Pendragon crest analysis: 

The red background is supposed to signify magnanimity, military strength, warrior and martyr.

The yellow in the dragon is meant to be gold in heraldry and that means wisdom, generosity, glory, constancy, and faith.

Now, here’s something interesting someone’s noticed, the dragon's front legs here are not showing, and a dragon with only two legs in heraldry is a wyvern. 

A Wyvern is “a creature of valor and protection, and, as most dragons in the past, also believed to have great eyesight... [It] is also a symbol of vengeance or may have been acquired through a family member's slaying of a dragon.” So even if it was a lapse on the show makers part, I think it’s perfect for Uther.

Whereas a dragon “is supposed to have a keen sight, which enables it to guard treasures well. It is also said to be the most valiant of creatures; therefore, the dragon is a symbol of a most valiant defender of treasure. Dragons were perceived as powerful [and] protective.” which I think is perfect for Arthur, if you substitute treasure with Camelot. 

The castle is shown to have so many crests distributed throughout hallways and especially Uther’s council chambers and throne room, which are supposed to be the crests of the families that are loyal to him and the ones whose sons are a part of the knights of Camelot. It’s meant to show off his power, meant to basically say “look how many noble families are on my side if you dare defy me”. 

The De Bois family crest:

The black background signifies wisdom, grief, constancy, and prudence.

The phoenix is white which is meant to be silver in heraldry. It signifies truth, sincerity, peace, innocence, and purity. 

The phoenix generally symbolizes resurrection, and is also a symbol of love (the sigil scene 😌 this is shameless merthur shipping at this point).

Some stuff I find interesting:

I still think it’s a dove on Ygraine’s sigil? Idk, according to the rules of heraldry, sigils and seals are supposed to carry family crests, so I’m going with that, it’s a phoenix until proven otherwise, I guess. Although, there are rules for women’s crests and they change based on the woman’s marital status. In general, married women usually incorporate their husbands crests into their own. 

As a rule, women don’t pass down their crests to their children (only in Canadian heraldry they do, I think). So that sigil was literally the last thing Arthur had that carried some kind of trace to Ygraine and the De Bois in general. 

Tristan De Bois is said to be the only person to still be using the crest. Based on my research, and correct me if I’m wrong, crests are inherited by the firstborn male in a noble family and so it makes sense that it would end with him. Other sons were to use a slightly modified version of the crest, which is what I think Agravaine must’ve did, even though we don’t get to see it since as a knight he wears the Pendragon crest.

The De Bois crest is still shown to be displayed in that hallway in the castle all throughout S4 and S5 after Agravaine’s death. So does that mean the De Bois family still exist somehow even with the death of its eldest son? Maybe Tristan had children before his death? Maybe Agravaine did and this was his version of the crest since it’s changed from the one we see on Tristan’s armor? Although I don’t think Arthur would display Agravaine’s crest after his betrayal, which brings me to my next point.

The way the crest is displayed in this hallway is interesting, because according to the rules of heraldry, this display is incorrect and it’s not the De Bois crest per say, but it’s a phoenix and it’s displayed in the same attitude (position) that it appears in on Tristan’s shield, so maybe the show took artistic liberties? Anyway, I like to think that it’s an incorporation of the Pendragon and the De Bois crests; the Phoenix with a head of gold over a red background; the resurrection of the phoenix with its golden glory, wisdom and faith, over the strength and martyrdom of the red. 

Gwaine and Leon definitely have a family crest of their own, so I would’ve been very interested in seeing even a glimpse of them.

**All Sources are in the replies :)

[talesofnox]

LUCKY SHOT | bbc merlin

summary: the young maid tries her hardest to shield Arthur from a bandit’s crossbow attack—things go wrong, and Lancelot is left to pick up the pieces…

word count: 729

pairing: knights of the round table / fem!merlin, platonic pairing, focuses on Merlin and Lancelot

warnings: TW, blood, mentions of violence, major character death, suicide, grieving and depressed lancelot

tags: BBC, bbc, SCREW BBC, merlin writing, merlin imagine, merlin, bbc merlin, merlin emrys, lancelot, fem!merlin, Arthur Pendragon, gwen pendragon, leon, percival, gwaine, elyan, gauis, Camelot, knights of camelot, knights of the round table, bad writing, i am sad, this made me feel things, i am crying

a/n: I do not know any of the actors personally, nor do I own them or their characters. What’s written below is fiction and should be treated as such. I am essentially using them as a name-claim and face-claim. I’m creating my own character and using the actors as background characters, and just using their name and features for details. I do not directly associate the actors with any ideas used in my writing. This writing is to be used for entertainment and fictional purposes only.

MASTERPOST | AO3 | FANFICTION.NET

“Calm down, Merlin—calm down,” Lancelot murmured tearfully, forcing himself to avert his eyes away from the periodic spurts of his best friend’s blood seeping through the cracks between his clenched fingers.

“Lance…”

“You’re going to be okay; just stay awake. Please?” The loyal knight could to nothing more than encourage her to keep her eyes open, but it was not working. He was unaware of whether he was reassuring Merlin or himself. It did not matter.

“Someone get Gauis!” He could faintly hear Arthur behind them, yelling at someone—anyone—to gather the physician.

“Guess they—they got a l—lucky shot… huh, Lance?” Merlin struggled to get the words out, her voice stuttering with cracks.

Lance nearly gave himself whiplash with how fast he shook his head. “No! You’re going to be just fine. Please, Merlin, please!”

Her body gave a violent jerk, drops of blood flying from her stained tunic and splattering against Lancelot’s wet cheek. The blood mixed with his tears immediately, flowing down and dripping onto the cobblestone bricks his knees were resting on.

Merlin spoke again, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m so tired, Lance.”

Her eyes shut involuntarily, and just as Lancelot believe her to be already gone, they fluttered again, folding into think slits from the glaringly bright sun.

The rest of the knights, along with Gwen, stood behind the heartbreaking duo, the latter sobbing into the shoulder of her brother’s chainmail whilst the others had gone silent, tears falling down their cheeks. Arthur seemed to be the worst of the group.

Every citizen in the courtyard watched the knight breakdown over the near-gone body of his first true best friend. They had all witnessed the attack; bandits stormed the grounds, pushing and shoving peasants away to rush the king on the steps. One man wielding a crossbow loaded his weapon and aimed. Before anyone could shout for cover, Merlin was tumbling down the steps, a bolt lodged deep in her side.

“Please, Merlin,” Lancelot sobbed for help, “Please.” He did not know what he was begging for at that point, he just needed Merlin to tell him it would be okay.

“’M sorry, Lance. ‘M sorry.” Merlin’s voice was near incomprehensible as her burdening eyes closed for the final time, her aching body dropping limp in the knight’s arms.

“No! No! Merlin!” Lancelot shouted through his choking sniffles at her parted mouth that gave off no breath, her chest that had ceased rising and falling.

He struggled to drag her to his chest when he heard the echoing footsteps, turning to see Leon and Percival making their way towards them.

The senior knight held Lancelot back in a tight embrace, spinning him around to hold the man’s arms at his side while Percival had the job of escorting Merlin’s body through the parting crowd to her and Gauis’ chambers. The shaking in his arms was obvious, but no one said a word.

Lancelot fought to get his arms free, but Leon would not relent on his torso. “Merlin! Merlin, no! Let me go!” All he could do was pound on his friend’s back to get away, but Leon would not budge. He could only hold the broken man in his arms and let his cry.

The day they burned Merlin’s body at the lake or Avalon in front of the whole of Camelot was the hardest for most. They had decided to give her a soldier’s send-off—a unanimous vote for the council after Arthur had stormed out of the room in tears.

The citizens pretended not to notice the way one knight—who was adamant on himself lying her body in the boat—stumbled, shielding her body until he eventually crawled the rest of the way through the grass. The pretended not to notice when he gave up his noble title to live as Merlin did: a laborer. The pretended not to notice when few saw him tearing up while writing a letter on the training field.

However, they did notice when a shrill cry erupted from their queen when she discovered the body suspended from a beam in the armory, hanging from his neck by a rope.

They noticed the tears the rest of the Knights of the Round Table let their tears fall as they gave him a familiar send-off where he once gave Merlin hers.

[kiara-pendragon]

Kiara Pendragon

A bit of a mystery this one. Her Signature Spell, “Hunter’s Armory” allows her to summon various weapons at will. From sets of knives or bows, to swords twice her size. These all seem to be made of scales, metal, and/or bones. Her general magic also looks a lit like the powers of a Stygian Zinogre.

She’s strong, dumb, and has a big heart. Will gladly fight for those she deems her family, while generally helping out if she doesn’t have to. She’s also barely passing the various classes because she clearly put all her stats in Brawn.

Also she’s gay af

[sautedonions]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Merlin (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin) Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Percival (Merlin) Additional Tags: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon Fluff (Merlin), Fluff, Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), Awesome Gwaine (Merlin), bbc merlin - Freeform, Merlin - Freeform, BBC, Fluffy Ending, Fluff and Humor, Romantic Fluff, Fluff without Plot Summary:

Merlin forgets that Arthur is strong enough to pick him up and take him wherever he pleases.

[thependragonwritersguild]

Prompt #14209

“This staff can become many different weapons. I’ve discovered twelve, so far.”

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Rainbow

Prompt: have you ever heard the song rainbow by dodie? i just heard it for the first time and i cant think of anything except how much it makes me think of poor bb Merlin. if you're interested could you maybe write a little fic based on it or something? it basically just makes me think about how Merlin would feel the first time Arthur and the knights compliment him on his magic, which is something he's been so conditioned to hate and think is monstrous his whole life (':

Thank you for the prompt, babe!

Read on Ao3

Warnings: none!

Pairings: merthur, can be platonic or romantic you decide

Word Count: 2709

Merlin is magic.

The world doesn't like magic.

...does it?

The first time he sees Percival smile at him, he almost drops his bag.

 He’d barged into the armory, rubbed the wrong way from Arthur’s jests that had hit a little too close to home. Sure, in a few hours the prat would act like nothing was wrong or give Merlin some sort of soft look that would be an unspoken apology, but right now, he’s angry.

 Merlin angry is never a good thing, but it’s even less of a good thing when he’s got no one to talk to. His magic tends to…protest. A little. He’s gotten a pretty good handle on it over the years, but he’s not perfect.

 So when he swings open the door and the wooden boards decide now is the time to careen into a rack of swords, he barely glares in their direction before they freeze and sheepishly retreat back to their previous positions. He huffs and sets about getting the gloves mended.

 “Wish you could do that to the others.”

 He doesn’t want to say he jumps, because his feet never actually leave the ground, but…

 Percival isn’t paying attention to him. He just looks at the rack of swords, perfectly pristine, as if nothing ever happened. He turns to Merlin.

 “Can you do that all the time?”

 “Uh—technically, yes?”

 Percival’s face splits into a grin so wide Merlin would be worried if he didn’t know that spark behind Percival’s eyes. He echoes it warily.

 “You’re quite the man,” he says instead, clapping Merlin once on the shoulder as he leaves, “and I am honored to bear witness to it.”

 …see now normally Gwaine’s the one for flowery compliments, so coming from Percival…

 Merlin shakes it off and gets back to work. But if his face is turning up into a smile rather than the glower he’d been wearing, well, that’s just good for his worry lines.

 The first time Elyan claps him on the shoulder and says he should learn a thing or two about magic from him, Merlin stares at him like his eyes have sprouted into stalks.

 “I mean,” Elyan says as he gestures to the part of his side that’s still tingling with Merlin’s magic, “if you can make it so I don’t need stitches ever again, I’d better start paying attention, hmm?”

 Merlin blinks, still wondering whether there’s an infection settling in that would explain why Elyan is complimenting his magic. “…you could always talk to Gaius.”

 Elyan waves his hand. “I’ve gotten the battle healer speech more times than I can count, and I’ve no interest in becoming a court physician.”

 “Then you’re out of options.”

 “If you’re expecting me to believe Gaius doesn’t know anything about healing magic, I’m not going to believe you.”

 “I never said he didn’t.”

 Elyan fixes him with a look. “I could always ask you.”

 “But I learned from Gaius.”

 “Then I’ll talk to Gaius about healing magic.”

 “You shouldn’t,” Merlin blurts, “you shouldn’t talk to Gaius.”

 Elyan tilts his head. “But you just said you learned it from Gaius.”

 “I did, but—“

 “...but?”

 Merlin’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. Elyan just lies there, on the ground, as the others bicker about who’s looting what bandit. Children, honestly.

 But he can’t let them know Gaius is involved. Gaius has tried so hard to absolve himself of magic, to leave it in the past, to—to hide his magic. Told Merlin to hide it too.

 “Merlin?” Is that Elyan? “Merlin? What’s happening?”

 Merlin blinks. “What?”

 “You went away for a moment there.” Elyan frowns. “Are you alright?”

 “Yes! Yes, I’m fine, you’re the one who got shot.”

 He runs a hand over his side. “Doesn’t feel like it anymore, not thanks to you.”

 The knight gets to his feet, adjusting his tunic and armor. He smiles, reaching down to offer Merlin a hand up. Merlin takes it, still dazed.

 “We can speak about this later,” he says, “but I would like to learn from you.”

 “From m-me?”

 “Yes, Merlin, from you.”

 With that, Elyan disappears behind him. A few seconds later, he can hear him shouting with Gwaine. Merlin’s still frozen, looking down at his hands. Are they—huh.

 If he doesn’t bother to hide the golden curl of sparks around his irises the next time, well, it’s just that he wants to be sure Elyan knows exactly what the magic is.

 The first time Lancelot asks him what his favorite spell is, he drags the man into a secluded corner of the palace and hisses at him.

 “What is your problem?”

 “Easy,” Lancelot soothes, holding his hands up and letting Merlin fist his tunic, “I meant no offense.”

 “Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”

 “What? Asking you what your favorite sp—“

 “Shut up,” Merlin growls, his hand flattening over Lancelot’s mouth, glancing around frantically, “someone could hear you.”

 A weathered hand covers his and he lets Lancelot guide his hand away, still glowering. The knight just raises his eyebrows.

 “Is it an offense to all the others that you know to pick a favorite?”

 “What? No, that’s not—they don’t care, it’s not like they’re sentient.”

 “Then forgive me—“ and how is Merlin supposed to stay angry when Lancelot smiles like that—“but I do not see the problem.”

 “You can’t just talk about magic like that,” Merlin whispers angrily, “not out in the open.”

 “Merlin, in the time that I’ve known you, you’ve done magic more brazenly than I just spoke of it.”

 “That’s different!”

 “On multiple occasions,” he continues, still smiling, “you’ve done it in front of people that would happily have seen you killed for it.”

 “Hence why I don’t really want it being spoken about!”

 Something seems to flicker across Lancelot’s face and he steps forward, gently taking Merlin by the elbows. “Merlin,” he says softly, “none of those people are here.”

 “You don’t know that.”

 “I do,” the knight corrects softly, that blasted smile still in place, “I do know that because Arthur has rooted them all out. And I’ve helped.”

 “You’ve—“ Merlin blinks in surprise— “you’ve what?”

 “There is no member of court that openly despises magic,” Lancelot insists, “and none that would dare harm a single hair on your head.”

 Merlin’s fear fizzles and spurts in his chest, soothed in part by Lancelot’s grip. He swallows heavily, letting his head drop. It meets Lancelot’s sternum with a gentle thud.

 “Sorry.”

 “Don’t apologize,” Lancelot says immediately, his chest rumbling against Merlin’s forehead, “you’ve done nothing wrong. If anything it is I who must apologize.”

 “No, it’s okay.” Merlin takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

 “So?”

 “So?”

 “What’s your favorite spell?”

 Merlin glances around them. There’s a window overlooking the training field not too far. Tugging Lancelot along by his sleeve, he peers outside. No one.

 “Let’s go.”

 “Oh, we need to be outside?”

 “It’ll be less suspicious.”

 If Lancelot has any issue with it, he keeps it to himself. Instead he just chuckles and lets Merlin pull him outside like an anxious toddler. He lifts a hand to block the sun from his eyes as he watches Merlin wring his hands.

 “You needn’t show me if you don’t want to.”

 “No, no, it’s fine, I just…” he takes a deep breath, “I haven’t cast this in a while.”

 He cups his hands around his mouth and murmurs softly. As he parts them, a swarm of vibrant blue butterflies fills the air around them, fluttering up from the safety of his palms. A soft smile crosses his face as he watches them fly up into the golden sun.

 “Miraculous,” he hears Lancelot murmur distantly, still caught up in the swirl of wings, “truly miraculous.”

 If Merlin lets one of the butterflies linger on Lancelot’s shoulder for a little longer, well, he’s just apologizing for dragging the man into this with him.

 The first time Gwaine calls him beautiful, he laughs.

 To say that Gwaine is a flirt is perhaps the greatest understatement in Camelot other than Kilgarrah isn’t concise.

 Seriously. He doesn’t begrudge the dragon his fun—being locked and chained in a cave under Uther Pendragon is enough to drive anyone insane with boredom—but come on.

 Anyway. Merlin’s turning away from Gwaine, dismissing the man as drunk again, only for there to be a gentle hand on his elbow turning him back.

 “I heard you the first time, Gwaine.”

 “And you laughed like you didn’t believe me.”

 “Because you’re—“

 Merlin’s eyes land on Gwaine’s and he pauses. Gwaine’s eyes are clear. Not dazed or fogged by spirits in the slightest. His mouth isn’t lolling to the side, bared in some audacious smirk, it’s not even smiling.

 Instead, Gwaine looks the most serious Merlin’s ever seen him, bar the time he got stabbed and Gwaine pressed down on his stomach like a man possessed. It makes him want to laugh again, break the tension, get Gwaine back to his normal flirty self. But his laugh comes out choked and awkward and Gwaine still hasn’t blinked.

 “If you’re looking for a warm body,” he tries instead, “try somewhere else.”

 “I’m not, Merlin,” Gwaine says with a seriousness that makes Merlin wobble. “Nor am I joking.”

 “I’m not beautiful, Gwaine.”

 “Why not?” Gwaine looks him up and down. “Because you don’t think you are or because some nitwits told you you’re not?”

 “…both?”

 “You’re wrong,” Gwaine says softly, “you’re both wrong.”

 Merlin just huffs and makes to turn away again. Gwaine stops him, standing slowly.

 “Why don’t you want to hear this?”

 “Because I don’t know what you want, Gwaine. And you should know you don’t have to ply me to get me to give you what you want.”

 “What if I don’t want anything?” Gwaine won’t let go of him. “What are you running from?”

 Merlin sighs. He lets his head hang and sets the jug on the table next to him.

 “I’m not—Gwaine, what…why?”

 “Because no one’s ever told you, Merlin,” the knight says, finally smiling as he runs his thumb along the sleeve of Merlin’s tunic, “and you deserve to hear it.”

 Merlin swallows heavily. “What makes you think I’m beautiful?”

 “Not to sound too brash—“

 “Since when have you cared about sounding brash?”

 He accepts the jibe with a nod, still smiling incredulously. “—but have you ever seen yourself when you do magic?”

 Merlin’s cheeks burn.

 He knows what Gwaine’s talking about. Some young upstart on the training field decided to show off like a pigeon about to be plucked and launched an errant spear in Merlin’s direction. He barely lifted an eyebrow and it dodged to the side as he fixed the squire with a look that said ‘do that again and it’ll be your head.’

 The knights had talked about it for hours.

 “Gwaine, I—“

 “Merlin,” Gwaine says instead, “why do you think your magic isn’t beautiful?”

 Ah.

 Well.

 That’s an interesting question.

 One that Merlin would much rather never answer or hear again, thank you very much.

 Gwaine, unfortunately, is not going to let him get away with that.

 “Merlin,” the knight prods, “Merlin?”

 Merlin’s face twists into an awful grimace. Gwaine doesn’t falter, just waits patiently.

 “Because it’s magic,” Merlin spits eventually, “it’s not supposed to be.”

 “Most things that are beautiful aren’t supposed to be.”

 “But—“

 “And just because they aren’t supposed to be doesn’t mean they are,” he continues gently. “And I don’t like seeing you grimace every time someone mentions it.”

 Merlin blinks. “I what?”

 “You make a face,” Gwaine says, “whenever people mention your magic. Like you wish you could’ve hidden it better.”

 “Because most people want me to use my magic for—“

 He cuts himself off. He shouldn’t have said that. He should not have said that. Gwaine just gives him a gentle squeeze of encouragement.

 “People want my magic,” he says eventually, “not—not—“

 “Not you?”

 Merlin nods miserably.

 “Well,” the knight says quietly, “we do. We want you. Magic and all.”

 Merlin blinks. Why did—?

 Oh. Now Gwaine’s leaving. As the door shuts behind him, Merlin stands completely still, puzzling over the words still ringing in his head.

  Magic and all.

 Merlin is inseparable from his magic. He is magic. Anyone who wants his magic is going to get—

 Oh.

  Oh.

  ‘We want you. Magic and all.’

 Most people who want his magic don’t want the man attached to it. Or rather, they do, because they want the scapegoat of someone to blame when the magic finally pays off. And most people who want Merlin don’t want the magic. Because—because—

 But Gwaine said they do.

 If Merlin stands there for a few more minutes before casting a simple spell in front of a mirror for the first time, well, he just—he just wants to see.

 The first time Leon pulls him into a hug he cries.

 “Come,” the knight murmurs, opening his arms and letting the great red cape spread out behind him, “shed your tears, Merlin, it’s alright.”

 Merlin all but falls into the firm cradle of Leon’s embrace, letting the knight tuck his head into the ginger curls and cup the back of his neck. His breaths are coming in great shuddering gasps and it hurts, it hurts, his veins feel like they’re on fire.

 “Calm yourself, Merlin,” Leon says in a low, even voice, “it’s alright. You’re safe.”

 Merlin’s safe, because Merlin has magic, but Leon isn’t. Leon is just a knight—he’s never been just a knight, but he’s just a knight, and Merlin is fire and chaos and he will hurt him.

 “You won’t,” comes the steady reply when Merlin whimpers that he will, Leon has to run before he destroys him, “you wouldn’t hurt me, Merlin, not ever.”

 But I could, an awful voice whispers in his head, I could tear you apart, bit by bit, without even lifting a finger.

 Something clenches in his gut that sends it roiling. He pitches to the side and dry heaves, horrible bitterness coating the back of his tongue.

 “You’re alright,” Leon murmurs, still rubbing his back in slow, reassuring circles, “it’s alright, Merlin, everything’s alright.”

 “No—no—it’s not—“

 “Hush now, Merlin, don’t try and speak yet, just let this go.”

 The ball of hurt in Merlin’s stomach snaps and unsnaps, coiling and recoiling until he’s dizzy, leaning entirely on Leon. Leon, of course, doesn’t even flinch at having the weight of an entire man on him. Instead, he sweeps Merlin into his arms and carries him a little further, settling him on the ground and wrapping his cape protectively around the two of them.

 “It’s all gone—“ Merlin chokes— “I destroyed it, I destroy everything—“

 “That’s not true, Merlin,” Leon says softly, “you know it isn’t.”

 “I ruin everything!”

 “You don’t,” comes the reassurance, soft, steady, unwavering, “and you know you don’t. Everything is alright, Merlin, no one is hurt, nothing is the matter, just rest.”

 “I’m sorry,” he gasps out, unable to escape the blackness roiling in his chest, “I’m sorry I have magic.”

 Shame blossoms in the wake of his words, the tears following shortly after.

 Leon simply wipes them away with a gentle hand, soothing Merlin’s whispered apologies with every stroke.

 “Never apologize for being who you are, Merlin,” Leon says firmly, holding Merlin’s unflinching gaze, “the world would be all the lesser for it.”

 “P-promise?”

 It’s the plea of a child. A desperate, frightened, lonely child.

 If Merlin refuses to let go of Leon for the next few hours after Leon promises, well, that’s his business, not yours.

 The first time Arthur tells him that he loves him, Merlin smiles as he tells him he loves him back.

[beautifultypewriter]

Arthur from Merlin being jealous over you would include : Headcanons

Yay! A request for King Arthur!! Thanks so much for sending this in!

Arthur Pendragon being jealous would include:

When Arthur sees someone flirting with you from his spot across the room, he can’t help himself, he has to glare at the offender.

He doesn’t even realize that he’s doing it until Merlin asks him what’s got him so uptight.

Arthur turns his glare to Merlin for a minute, but then he hears your laugh and his attention is back on you.

Merlin realizes what’s going on and he laughs.

Arthur rolls his eyes, but he keeps his focus on you as you continue your conversation with the stranger.

When the stranger leaves, Arthur rushes to your side.

He has a bunch of questions and you laugh as you answer them all, knowing that he was watching you the whole time.

“Are you jealous?”

Arthur scoffs as he denies your claim, but you can see in his eyes that he was indeed jealous.

The stranger comes back and Arthur immediately tosses his arm over your shoulder as he looks at the man.

He gives the man a fake smile as he introduces himself.

Obviously the stranger is intimidated by Arthur’s title and he scurries away quickly.

You laugh to yourself.

“Yeah, you’re not jealous at all.”

You walk away from Arthur, but he follows you, once again denying his jealousy.

“I’m not jealous. I just care about you.”

You laugh again as Arthur continues to trail after you.

Bonus:

When Gwaine flirts with you (which happens often) Arthur makes him clean all the armor in the armory as punishment.

[merthur-fanfics]

Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: Merlin (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Merlin, Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon, Leon (Merlin), Uther Pendragon (Merlin), Uther Pendragon Additional Tags: Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Arthur is Bad at Feelings, Oblivious Merlin (Merlin), Oblivious Arthur, Getting Together, Friends to Lovers, Leon knows what's up Summary:

Not for the first time in his employment to Arthur Pendragon, Merlin pondered the life choices that had led him here-- here, meaning pressed intimately against Arthur-- who was in full chainmail-- in the armory’s broom cupboard.

He was pretty sure that destiny hadn’t predicted this.

Or, in which Arthur and Merlin eavesdrop on two traitors in a broom cupboard, Arthur gets protective, and Leon reads between the lines.

[ao3feed-gwainepercival]

I Want You To Give In

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/q6PRJo2

by TastyTaboo

“Yes, an advisory position on my council,” Arthur says, he looks very proud of himself. “After all, when the Druids leave I’ll need someone to advise me on all things magic and I trust you.”

It’s a nice sentiment, it always makes Merlin feel warm when he brings up their bond and their trust. It just also seems a little silly.

“I can advise you without some silly title and council seat,” she goes back to cleaning a pair of his training trousers with the scrub brush in her hand. “I’ve been doing it this long.”

Words: 27239, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Merlin (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Merlin (Merlin), Leon (Merlin), Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Morgana (Merlin), Gwen (Merlin), Lancelot (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Percival (Merlin), Elyan (Merlin), Mordred (Merlin)

Relationships: Leon/Merlin (Merlin), Leon/Merlin-Centric, Assorted Side Relationships, Morgana/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin), Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Mordred/Original Character, Elyan/Original Character

Additional Tags: Female Merlin (Merlin), Male-Female Friendship, Canon Era, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, King Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Arthur’s gone spare, Arthur Shenanigans, Court Sorceress Merlin, Non-Consensual Wardrobe Replacement, Good Friend Leon (Merlin), Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), Competent Merlin (Merlin), Leon’s Competency Kink, Cunnilingus, Hand Jobs, Sex in the Armory, Somehow I worldbuilded my way into 27k of plot, Mentioned Pregnancies - Epilogue, Pregnant Morgana (Merlin), Pregnant Merlin (Merlin), Pregnant Gwen (Merlin), POV Alternating, POV Third Person, POV Multiple

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/q6PRJo2