#the greatest sorcerer ever to walk the earth

[silverameco]

what i love about merlin's character is that it's not like he's pretending to be a clumsy fool with an endearing personality, a wicked sense of humor and a problem with authority figures, when he's actually a powerful sorcerer

it's that he is a clumsy fool with an endearing personality, a wicked sense of humor and a problem with authority figures, who is also an immortal magical being, a wise man, a loyal friend and a powerful sorcerer who has killed people and will do it again if necessary

he has allies who kneel before him and friends who make fun of him

[xrose-vo]

Someones pls explain to me, HOW ON EARTH DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF THIS MASTERPIECE UNTIL A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO WHEN I STARTED WATCHING IT ?????

Jesus fucking christ, it deserves the olympic gold.

[pyjamacryptid]

so like, do you ever think about the similarities between Gwaine and Will (from Ealdor)? And their respective friendship with Merlin? Because, dude, I’ve been thinking about it all week.

These two would've been friends, I'm sure of it.

Gwaine makes the most iconic character introduction of the series, gets stabbed, continues to be a menace, and then he and Merlin bond over their fathers, and lack thereof.

Gwaine is cynical about nobility, especially Kings. As we know, his father was a knight who died in battle in Carleon’s name, and the King repaid his family with nothing.

Then you’ve got Will. Will - the most iconic man from Ealdor, which is a tall order when your mate’s Merlin, Mr “Greatest Sorcerer To Have Ever Walked The Earth” who is also from Ealdor. He greets Merlin like “your kind ain’t welcome here….. lol jk bring it in”, and then immediately squares up with Arthur, who’s kind - as far as Will is concerned - is definitely not welcome here.

Merlin reveals that Will’s issues with Arthur run deeper than how they first appear. Will, too, had a father that died in battle in service to, most likely, a King. The majority of it is inferred to the audience and we’re encouraged to make our own conclusions.

It’s very likely that Will and Gwaine share very similar backgrounds. I’m not sure that Will’s father was a knight, it’s more probable that he was a soldier of some kind and not of noble birth. Regardless of whatever rank he held, there’s overlap: a father was in service to a king, died in service to that king, that king left the family with nothing as thanks, and the son is left a cynic with no trust for people with fancy titles.

Another parallel is that in both 1x10 and 3x04, Will and Gwaine leave. For different reasons, of course. Will leaves because he refuses to fight for Arthur, a noble, and Gwaine leaves because he stood up to “nobles” bullying Merlin and was banished by Uther for it.

And then they both come back, to Merlin’s delight. Will comes back, risking his life, because it’s not about fighting for Arthur; it’s about fighting for Ealdor, his village, and to fight beside Merlin. Gwaine comes back, risking the consequences of his banishment, because he knew Arthur was in danger and Merlin likely would need some help.

But like, do you think Merlin, after Will’s death and since meeting Gwaine, sees these similarities between his two friends? Not just in experiences but personality? We only got one episode with Will, and we met him during a really desperate time, so the guy was probably stressed to the roots of his hair; and it was also after Merlin returned after moving away. So, Will - though happy to see him - was still cross after feeling abandoned. We didn’t get to see more of Will’s personality outside of that, but we know he was fiercely loyal, cynical, considered people’s lives worth more than material wealth or glory, outspoken and unafraid to tell a prince to fuck off, and one for banter (i.e. how he welcomed Merlin home).

Do you think Merlin saw Gwaine’s joking nature, his fierce loyalty, his criticisms of nobility and how he considered titles unimportant compared to who a person was on the inside, and thought of Will?

And, what if Merlin, late at night and lying in bed, thought that - if they’d ever gotten the chance to meet - Gwaine and Will would’ve been good friends.

…. anyway, that’s what’s plagued me for 6 days.

[thebookluvrr1816]

...there are those who say he's the greatest sorcerer ever to walk the earth.

[novadraws]

thinking about how bbc's merlin genuinely has one of the most tragic endings of all time. in trying to change destiny, merlin has only ensured that the fate he fears most comes to pass. two of his closest friends are dead, another left to rule a kingdom mourning her king. one of his closest friends turned enemy is dead by his hand. he is the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth, but he is unable to save the one person he loves most: his best friend, his soulmate, the other side of his coin. he cannot even find solace in death, cursed to walk the earth for centuries until the once and future king rises again, not even knowing if he will rise again at all.

[achillesuwu]

I'm obsessed with this so I need to write it down : AU where merlin has to reveal his magic to save them all but it's very very likely he will die so he turns to Lancelot and says "My name, can you remember my name? ". Arthur & the others knights are confuse but Lancelot understand what it means. Sorcerer aren't allowed to have a burial, they never even get a trial. Thus their name are never written down, forgotten like their ashes in the wind.

"I will"

He will, he will speak of it and one thousand years later no one will remember the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth by the name Emrys. They will only know Merlin.

And I see fire

Blood in the breeze

And I hope that you remember me

[hopelessromantic5]

The tavern scene where Merlin is playing the King at dice and using his magic and it’s really fucking hot.

As Merlin looked around at their accumulating audience, he saw more than a few red cloaks.

So the knights had come to see their king brought to his knees, Merlin thought, chuckling to himself.

“What’s so funny?” Arthur questioned boisterously.

“Nothing, sire.” Merlin singsonged with a smirk that he knew would only frustrate Arthur further. Merlin threw only a momentary glance to The Once and Future King who is soon to lose all of his silver challenging the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth at dice.

Merlin acted as if he were considering his bet, then stacked two piles of silver coins into the bowl.

Of course, Arthur just slung his about like he had no intention of losing it.

Think again, your royal pratship.

Arthur stepped back, next to Percival and Lancelot, to watch Merlin roll.

“Watch out. Here we go.” Though Merlin thought he saw something akin to doubt behind his King’s startlingly blue eyes.

This made Merlin smile like a fool.

The King is nervous to lose, he thought, at least he isn’t a complete moron.

Merlin schooled his face, and began to tumble the dice around in the cup. The sound almost like hooves on compact earth, or dangling talismans hung by Druids, tinkling together in the wind.

Merlin brought his hand holding the cup, up to his lips blowing air into it and letting just a little of his magic slip out.

“Ten.”

And as he knew they would, they dice rolled a perfect ten.

He laughed as irritation settled onto Arthur’s devilishly handsome face.

The king rounded the table, leaning over so his voice was heard only by Merlin’s ears.

“Enjoy this moment, Merlin. While it lasts.”

Merlin didn’t really hear it, though.

The instant that Arthur moved into his personal space, his servant was lost to the world. Distracted by soft lips twisted into a frown, a jawline chiseled from stone, and eyes too beautiful and kind for their own good.

There must be some magic there, Merlin thought. You can’t have eyes like that by the natural grace of the gods.

But if anyone were to be gifted with such a knee buckling appearance, King Arthur of Camelot was the one to deserve it.

Merlin had never seen him being untoward with any female prospects. Never saw him getting handsy with kitchen staff or lady’s maids. Merlin had never seen Arthur approach anyone in that way.

And, though sometimes he stupidly inappropriately wished it, Merlin had never seen Arthur take anyone back to his chambers.

Never once in the three years Merlin had been working for the spoiled prat of a king. Two of those years, Arthur was still a prince. Yet, he held none of the urges that people often berated when they spoke of the young. None that he gave into, anyway.

Merlin never claimed to know the inner workings on his kings mind, especially not in that area. With each passing season Merlin became more confused and less likely to broach the subject.

Not that he minded.

In fact he didn’t mind, at all.

Because there was the rather unfortunate fact that Merlin had been in love with Arthur Pendragon from the moment he laid eyes on him.

Arthur wasn’t drunk. But he had been drinking. Enough to let lingering doubts disappear into the back of his mind.

He thought about this, as he led the way to his chambers, Merlin following dutifully a few steps behind.

Merlin was completely sober.

Arthur knew because he watched Merlin all night, and the man never touched his cup, not once.

Arthur was determined. He was a King. He was supposed to look fear in the face and laugh.

He didn’t know how to handle fear in the form of the beautiful face of his magical manservant.

Merlin thought everything was normal.

Until the door closed behind him.

Arthur walked to the table, dropped his gloves on the surface, then turned to face Merlin with his arms crossed.

Gods, he was fit.

“Did you enjoy stealing all my money?”

Merlin tutted,

“Come now, sire. We both know that wasn’t anywhere near all your money.”

A chuckle left the Kings lips.

“That is not the point, Merlin.”

“And what is the point, sire?” Merlin was goading him and poking his buttons, unassuming of the bombshell that was about to be dropped in his lap.

Arthur was still smiling, but he narrowed his eyes, which put Merlin on alert. Merlin didn’t know this look. And he knew all of them. Well, almost all of them. He’d never seen this look before.

The King began to approach Merlin, slowly.

It didn’t take very long for him to reach his goal.

“The point, Merlin…” Arthur was very close now. His hopeless manservant was losing his breath, unable to look away from his gorgeous, awe-inspiring face. Merlin was boxed in by Arthur’s muscular arms, inches away from him face.

“…is that you cheated.”

Just like that, all the air was sucked out of the room.

Merlin couldn’t move, or speak, or get oxygen to his brain to make it function.

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

Merlin watched as Arthur’s smile spread across his face.

He was…smiling?

Oh thank all the gods in all the heavens, he doesn’t hate me!

This is what Merlin’s inner voice was screaming to imaginary skies, until Arthur spoke again.

Merlin zeroed back in on the King’s eyes, and realized that the blue had been swallowed by black.

“You want to know something?” His voice is low and rough, and he was so close. Incredibly, impossibly close.

Merlin was not computing coherent words at the moment so he nodded, eager to know something. Anything. As long as it came from those lips.

Arthur moved in to hover his mouth just above Merlin’s skin. Right below his ear.

Merlin shivered involuntarily at the proximity, and the tease that The King of Camelot turned out to be.

“I’ve known for years, Merlin.”

Merlin might’ve been shocked, if his shock hasn’t been overrun by the way Arthur whispered his name. Like a siren song, begging him to come closer.

“But the way you looked in that tavern,”

Arthur’s breath kept caressing his skin in lapping waves and it was intoxicating. Merlin’s whole body was filled with want. He could feel it tingle in his fingertips and at the very top of his spine. Deep in his gut, where everything pooled to drag him under.

“I knew I had to have you. I can’t wait any longer.”

Arthur drew back, half lidded, smirking all-knowing.

Merlin didn’t know what he looked like but it must be a sight.

“That is, if you’ll have me.”

Merlin swallowed the past the lump in his throat before speaking, or whispering. Even if every part of him thrummed with this feeling, there was always a chance of everything crumbling. Nothing was certain, until it was.

“I am yours.” He hoped his eyes conveyed everything he ever held in, Arthur could always read his eyes.

[whereserpentswalk]

There's a chess board out there that's eternally bound to a fae lord. The pieces all look like strange insects, and nobody can tell what the two colors are, no matter how much they look at them, they just know that they're different.

When you move a piece the fae will make his own move, and you'll see him on the other side of the board. Nobody who hasn't played knows what he looks like. And once you start playing, you're not allowed to stand up.

Nobody can see the fae but they can hear him, everyone even a bit close to the board can hear him speak. He promises so many things if you win. "I can make you ruler of the world." "I can make you the richest person to ever live." "I can make anyone on earth fall in love with you." "All you have to do is play and win." "It would all be so easy if you just chose to play."

But you should never choose to play him. When you lose, he will eat your existence, not your current existence, but your existence in the world. Your impact of the world will be erased, and nobody will ever remember you. Everyone who ever knew you, loved you, hated you, will have never met you at all.

It's only a few scholars and sorcerers have figured out what happens to the losers of the game, by finding the holes in people's lives. It's unknown if the people who lose the game die or disappear when they're forgotten, or if they just walk away, anonyms, with no lives to go back to. Perhaps some throw the game on purpose, just to have their name disappear.

Many have played the game and lost, those who thought they would be sure to win. Chess masters. Great wizards and occultists. Military tacticians. People blessed by gods, and those with demons bound to their flesh. Nobody knows their names, only what the fae lord brags about them, only their lives as he saw them.

The fae is not the greatest at chess. He is good, but not the greatest. But he is clever with words, and just as he knows what to tell people to make them play, he knows what to tell people to make them lose, to trick them, to throw them off, to make them cheat, or to make them throw the game. His kind is not permitted to lie, but he does not require lies.

He speaks all languages. He has manipulated people in the tongues of countless nations. He has spoken the secret languages of ancient cults to their followers and spoken to dragons in their tongue of inaudibly low song. When they called on a deaf man to play against him, he signed to them what he needed to sign. And when the great universities of the world brought out a computer to play him, a computer that could defeat any human play, he was even able to psyche that out, and tricked it into leaving it's king open at the wrong time.

They say there is only one person who the fae lord was afraid to play. It was a young woman who had no name, no family, and no official identification. She had been tracking it down for years, since the first record of her existence she had been searching for the chess board, and she seemed to already know a lot about it. He has begged everyone he could, from scholars, to wanderers, to other fae, to not let her near him. If she does play him, and if she does win, who knows what will happen, we do not know if anyone has won before, and if anyone did, we do not know why.

[emrys-merlin]

I still love how Arthur goes from fearing and shocked that Merlin has magic and has lied all this time to “mErLin?” after Gaius says “there are those who say he is the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth.”

[startledstoat]

Arthur's disbelief when gaius said merlin was the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk the earth was so funny bc merlin had the same reaction when he was told that Arthur would be the greatest king the world ever had.

(but anyone try to imply there was king or sorcerer that was better than them and there would be bloodshed)

[yourfavecharacterisqueer]

sometimes i think ‘how could arthur never know merlin was a sorcerer? he used magic so obviously’ then i realised this was the “greatest sorcerer to ever walk the earth” when attempting to commit regicide mere feet away from his target

[wizardbracket]

Round 2: Match 25 of 32

Why they deserve to be the ultimate wizard according to YOU:

Merlin:

Vanquished (so far): Prospero

"He deserves to win for the sole reason that he's bbgurl"

"He literally just is the ultimate wizard. Like that's his title"

"No one can possibly surpass Dragoon the Great"

"He's gay, he is literally the embodiment of magic. He waits over 2000 years for Arthur to return and he is still waiting"

"The Greatest Sorcerer to Ever Walk the Earth, The Last Dragonlord, Dragoon the Great"

Luz Noceda:

Vanquished (so far): Callum

"She had to be smart and hardworking to get her power, she has a yet-to-hatch familiar, her human world technology is magic to her magic world friends"

"She technically wants to be a witch and there was one mention of a wizard in the show, but I wanna argue that she counts as a wizard because her magic is based on study. She puts a lot of work into learning her craft and cannot cast magic that she has not studied. Her presentation is also baller."

[thedeadestartist]

To Kill Magic Itself

Fic inspired by prompt by @obsessionrepression

"Kind of want a fic of Arthur being sent on a quest to kill Magic itself, the god of magic, the most powerful sorcerer to walk the Earth, Emrys, and Merlin is just standing in the background sweating Ok, so maybe Uther hears from some captive druids about Emrys and how he’s magic itself, god of magic, so on so forth. So obviously, to get rid of magic in the world, this Emrys guy has to be killed! So Uther sends Arthur on a quest to get rid of magic once and for all, and of course, Merlin is along for the ride. This could be a pretty cool concept and magic reveal I think. I’m no good at writing though so please someone write this"

5.5k words

You can also read it on ao3 if you prefer, here.

“Please, I don’t have much time before the guards return,” Merlin pleaded.

Yet still, the young man did not move an inch. From behind the iron bars, Merlin could see the boy he firmly grasped to his body. 

Uther must have threatened to kill the druid’s son.

“You’re right,” squeaked a small muffled voice.

“Hush now, Arawn,” the father spoke quickly. And then he shifted slightly, turning his hooded face further away from Merlin.  “After what I have done, I cannot dare to look upon you, Emrys.”

“Then I won’t ask you to look at me, but please, I need to know.”

“I did what I had to do and-

“And I forgive you! Now, come on, I am begging you. Tell me what it is that Uther knows!”

The man in the cell clasped the boy in his arms ever tighter. Merlin steeled his heart.

“You, Emrys. He knows how to find you. He thinks you are the source of all magic. He thinks that if he kills you, he kills it all.”

“But how will he know how to find me?”

“I gave him an ancient device - the Argannwyf. It traces the strongest magic. I’m sorry, Emrys,” the man started to sob. “He promised to leave me and my family in peace.”

Merlin felt a scream burning in his throat but, instead, bit his tongue. All of this time, despite every close call, he had managed to hide his greatest secret from Arthur. But now, because of someone else…

“It’s okay,” he said in a hushed tone. “I forgive you, so please- when you escape from here, never come back. Live safe and free.”

The druid finally looked up at him, his eyes wet.

“Thank you, Emrys. You are the very best of us all.”

A distant shuffle prompted Merlin to quickly scramble to his feet and hastily turn back to his quarters. As he left, he turned back one last time and saw the druid’s son staring after him. The young child was too far away to hear, but Merlin could tell it was surely some words  of desperate gratitude. And pity.

…..

In the Physician’s chambers, Gaius listened to the young warlock's account of the druid’s statement in patient silence. When the young man had finished, he stared solemnly at the boy he had come to love as a son. Then he started,

“Merlin, you have to listen to me very carefully. If what the druid has said is true, you are in the most danger you have ever been in. What he has offered to Uther is incredibly powerful, and will expose you instantly, to Arthur, to everyone.”

The young man’s breath caught in his throat. He was no stranger to the threat of being revealed, but it sent a shock down his spine every time. To lose Arthur, his home with Gauis, the friends he had across Camelot…

He would argue it was a fate worse than death.

“So what do I do then?” he said quickly. “There must be a way out of this, surely, Gaius?”

Gaius’ brows furrowed as he rapidly attempted to recall the vast years of knowledge he had accumulated. There must have been something in all those books he had committed to memory before he was forced to burn them. Some way out of this trap that had been set before them.

“I don’t know,” he said finally. “At least not right now. I’m sure I will think of something by the setting of the sun but until I do… Merlin, prepare yourself for a worst case scenario.”

And once those chilling words, a heavy knock resounded from their door. There was a pause and then a servant boy entered.

“Court Physician, sir? And Merlin too? The King has summoned you both for an important announcement. He demands your presence.”

Gaius nodded quickly, “Thank you, boy. Run along, we’ll be right after you to the Council Chamber.”

The boy nodded and vanished as quickly as he appeared.

Merlin trembled slightly, and asked hurriedly, “Gaius, they haven’t used it already! Surely?!”

“I really doubt that, Merlin,” Gaius answered. “The Argannwyf and other magic tracing devices must be charged by magic first. The druid probably promised to do so upon the day of his release, to ensure Uther keeps his word. Well, at least, we must hope so. Let’s go find out.”

…..

Uther was filled with complete and utter glee. Everyone in the Council Chamber, from anxious Merlin to the servants pouring the wine could taste it in the air. If the situation weren’t so dire for Merlin, perhaps he would feel just as at ease as the rest of the council members. But instead, he felt as if he was being marched towards his death. 

The only one, it seemed, who dared to sour the mood, was the beloved prince of camelot.

“My dear council!” Uther exclaimed, a little tipsy from the numerous chalices of wine he had downed. “Our fight will finally have been won!”

Arthur turned sharply at the King’s words and exclaimed, “But, father, are you sure we can even trust them!” 

Uther solemnly clasped his hands together before he answered. The question had already circled around his head many times since the druid had spoken. But this opportunity was too good to pass up; a way to rid his kingdom of magic, once and for all? They had to at least try.

“My boy, it would serve you well to remember what our greatest enemy is - what it always has been. We must cleanse our kingdom of magic, no matter the cost. Besides, even if the druid has lied to us and magic in its entirety does not die with that sorcerer, there is one less sorcerer to bring downfall upon Camelot. The most powerful sorcerer on this Earth! That’s worth the quest to kill him, is it not?”

The Prince grimaced and asked another question, “What if it’s a trap? To tempt me away from the castle and launch an attack with some other druids hiding in the shadows!”

Uther laughed heartily.

“Then, Prince Arthur, I would defend my kingdom as I have successfully done for the past 50 years as its King.”

Then he motioned to Gaius, standing beside him.

“And even then, Gaius has assured me that if indeed the druid and his Emrys-seeking device are nothing but a desperate man’s attempt to save himself and his family from the pyre, then he would die according to the rules of his own magic.”

“Unlike other sorcerers, the ways of the Old Magic are absolute,” Gaius ad libbed. “When a druid takes an oath, it must be honoured - or death dealt. There is no trickery when it comes to the oaths of the Old Magic.”

When Uther had revealed that the druid had ‘sworn’ the device would work upon being granted freedom, Gaius had quickly spun a lie that a druid’s word was absolute. For now, it was important that the druid’s sacrifice would not have been one made in vain.

“Well, there you have it, my son. Prepare to ride with your knights in two days time. If the druid is still alive, then he must be telling the truth. And we will never have to live in fear again, once you’ve disposed of this… Emrys. You are dismissed.”

Arthur gritted his teeth and turned on his heel.

“Merlin, escort me to my chambers,” he ordered as he exited the doors of the Council Chamber.

And just before the heavy doors swung closed, Merlin slipped through behind him.

“Are you okay, Arthur?” Merlin asked cautiously, though he couldn’t help but find it incredibly ironic that he was having to ask such a question when he himself was trembling in fear.

Arthur did not answer and continued stomping his way to his personal chambers, throwing open the doors.

“Arthur?” Merlin prodded.

As the door shut itself behind him, Arthur turned to look at his servant.

“Merlin, what I am about to tell you must not leave this room. Do you understand?”

The young man nodded quickly.

His prince sighed.

“Merlin, do you think what my father said is true? That if we kill this one sorcerer, all the magic in the kingdom will be gone also?” He asked earnestly.

“I–”

“And be honest, Merlin. Don't treat this question as if I am a prince. Pretend we're both peasants or something.”

“I don't think you'd be a great peasant Arthur if I'm hone–”

“Merlin! Just answer the question. Please.”

“I don't know, sire.”

“Yeah, I don't either.”

Arthur collapsed into his chair, his hands over his face.

The two men sat in silence for a few moments.

“All my life, my father has sent me on these countless conquests to vanquish magic. Yet magic persists.”

The Prince sat up, folding his arms upon his desk and laying his head upon them. Even though Merlin couldn't see it, he could perfectly picture the tired expression on Arthur's face. Uther was growing old, and Arthur was growing tired of his father refusing to acknowledge so. All of the quests he was sent on, felt like just another excuse to postpone allowing Arthur to ascend to the throne. And it wasn't as if he was desperate for it. He just knew that his father needed to rest and that he, himself, had to learn how to lead and rule.

“Besides, is it really right to go hunting for someone who has not attacked us first?” Arthur pondered aloud. “What if this guy, the most powerful magic sorcerer in the world, has been choosing to be peaceful? What if our attack unleashes a greater threat to Camelot? What then?”

Merlin stood perfectly still. The Prince’s thoughts were words he so desperately craved. If Arthur were in power, would he be a better King than Uther? Surely he would, he did not have Uther's hardened heart. And with the words he spoke just now, there was opportunity for peace with all users of magic. Peace for Merlin. It sounded almost too good to be true.

“Arthur, I–”

But Merlin's words were interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

“Sire, may I request Merlin's presence?” Gaius’ voice spoke through the wood.

Arthur dismissed Merlin with a wave, without even raising his head from the desk.

“Merlin, don't forget we're leaving in two days,” he mumbled as his servant walked away. “Make sure to have everything we need packed by then.”

“Yes, my lord,” Merlin spoke as he softly closed the door behind him.

…..

Back in the Physician’s quarters, Merlin drew in a long deep breath. He had been pacing around the room since Gaius had explained the plan.

“And you’re sure it’ll work?” he repeated for the seventh time. “My life is on the line here, Gaius.”

“I can’t be completely sure until you’ve done the spell and Uther activates the device, but it’s your best chance,” his mentor answered.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Merlin spoke. “Let’s do it, right now.”

“But, Merlin. Be aware that this type of magic is very risky. It is not to be taken lightly,” Gaius warned.

The young man stopped pacing and looked at the old man.

“I know. But like you said, this is my best chance.”

“Then I'll gather the ingredients and prepare the potion, while you check the incantation and process in the book,” Gaius nodded.

In theory, the plan was simple enough. The book provided a guide to a spell on how to split one’s magic. If Merlin could split his magic and the stronger part were placed elsewhere, it would lead them away from the castle. Somewhere far enough for Merlin to either have the device ‘accidentally’ break or find some other way to convince Arthur that killing the strongest sorcerer would not bring down all magic. Either way, he needed to buy enough time for the druid and his son to get out of Camelot.

In reality, both Merlin and Gaius knew it was not so easy. There was no guarantee that it would work at all. And if it did, there were other complications. Magic outside the body must be bound to a complete physical object or it would naturally return to its sorcerer. How would he get the separated part of his magic far enough in time, before they had to leave? What if someone else found the object and took it, or broke it? What if without his full force of magic, Merlin was unable to protect Arthur during a surprise attack on the expedition?

“Merlin,” Gaius spoke softly, shaking the man from his thoughts. “The potion is ready.”

“Let's do this then,” Merlin smiled nervously.

The Physician pulled a locket from his pocket and placed it on the table before the most powerful sorcerer to have ever lived.

“This is a locket that my mother passed on to me before she died. She always said it brought her luck, and I think you need that more than me,” Gaius spoke. “You can bind your magic to this, and bury it as far from as you can before you leave.”

Merlin picked it up and felt the coolness of the metal through his fingertips.

“Thank you, Gaius,” he said.

With a nod, Gaius handed the potion to Merlin, who downed the liquid in one swig. Once the contents had reached his stomach, the sorcerer spoke the incantation and the locket glowed a fiery red. It burned so hot that both men could feel the heat on their faces. It glowed brighter and brighter, blue and then white, and then– 

It was over. The locket looked just as it had before. But when Merlin took it in his hands, this time he could feel the fast pulse of magic.

“I think it worked,” he said cautiously.

“Then you must go now. Bury it and be back before you're due to leave, quickly,” Gaius urged.

“Thank you, Gaius,” Merlin said, “Not just for this, but for all you've done for me.”

“You are very welcome, my boy,” Gaius smiled, pushing a bag of food into Merlin's hands and ushering him through the door. “Now go, and be safe.”

…..

“Where is Merlin!” Arthur demanded. “We’re supposed to leave in an hour and he's nowhere to be seen!”

“Maybe he ran off, your majesty,” Gwaine grinned. “We're trying to kill the most powerful sorcerer. He probably just didn't want to run to his death.”

“We're not going to die,” Arthur muttered. “I've fought many sorcerers before and I'm still alive.”

“Yeah, but none of them were the most powerful, were they?”

“Sir Gwaine?”

“Yes, my lord?”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, my lord.”

At the close of that exchange, the door to the Knight’s quarters flung open. And Merlin appeared, doubled over out of breath.

“There you are, Merlin, you useless servant,” Arthur said, anger flooding his voice and drowning the hint of relief in his tone. “Where have you been these past few days! I couldn't find you anywhere!”

“Oh, you can't have been looking for me that hard if you couldn't find me anywhere,” Merlin grinned mischievously, ducking away just in time to avoid a swipe from Arthur. “Besides, I was doing what you told me. Everything's packed, the horses are all ready, we can leave at your word.”

“Oh,” Arthur frowned. “But it surely can't have taken you that long, why weren't you there when I needed you for other things?” 

“What other things?” Gwained piped up. He did not avoid the incoming punch to the shoulder from Arthur.

“Nothing. Gather the knights, Gwaine. We leave now,” the Prince declared.

Arthur swiftly left the quarters, Merlin right behind him like a shadow.

“Yes, my lord,” Gwaine shouted after him, rolling his eyes. “Okay, men, let's get ready to ride!”

…..

At the gates of the Castle, Uther held the device high as he spoke to Arthur and his knights as they were due to depart. 

“With a drop of the druid’s blood, this device will activate and we will finally be able to defeat magic forever. This is the end of an era, and the rise of a new one. A new era in which no one ever had to live in fear of magic again!”

To the knights, the device looked quite small in Uther’s hands. It was circular, and no bigger than the circumference of a quiver. 

Uther handed the device to the druid, who used a sharp rock to slice the tip of his finger. Once a drop of his blood fell upon the device, the shallow carvings upon it lit up and reformed into an arrow, pointing vaguely south.

“As we have agreed,” Uther spoke firmly to the druid, “you are now free. But you are never welcome in Camelot, so leave and never return.”

“Thank you, for your generosity, your highness,” the druid said, his head bowed low to hide his gritted teeth. “I swear, you will never see me or my son again.”

As Uther left to pass the device to his son, the druid hastily sped down the stairs - child in arms - and rushed through the open gates. 

As he passed Merlin, he whispered, “May the stars protect you, Emrys.”

Arthur swung himself up onto his horse, device in hand.

“Knights of Camelot, let us depart,” he announced.

The sound of hooves echoed long after the last knight rode through the castle gates.

…..

The journey was surprisingly quite peaceful. The prince and his men diligently followed the arrow upon the device, riding through light-filled forest and the occasional small village. The party of knights had been riding for at least 3 hours in a mixture of silence and slight idle chatter when suddenly there was a heavy thud.

“Merlin!” Lancelot shouted after the young man who had fallen off his horse.

The knights quickly slipped off their own horses, swiftly crowding around their friend. He lay crumpled and still for a beat before he stirred. All the knights breathed a sigh of relief. And though no one would have seen, Arthur’s eyes softened immediately.

“Are you alright, Merlin?” Leon asked as he propped his torso up tenderly.

“I – I’m alright,” he replied, a little unsure of himself.

Gaius has warned him earlier about side-effects to the spell. Magic was thought to often be the source of a sorcerer’s strength, and that seemed to ring true. Ever since he had sealed most of his power away into the locket, he had felt more tired in less time, less aware of his surroundings. Merlin didn’t want to admit it to himself, but the feeling of being so powerless… it filled him with fear.

“He probably just hasn’t had enough to eat or drink,” Elyan suggested, pulling a flask and a roll of bread out from a bag strapped to his horse. “Perhaps we could all take this as an opportunity to rest for a little and refresh?”

Prince Arthur looked carefully at Merlin, catching his servant’s eye for a split second. In the pit of stomach, he felt a sense of unease. He didn’t know why.

“Alright, men,” he agreed. “Take a little time to drink, eat and stretch out your legs. But then we need to be ready to ride again as soon as we can.”

“Yes, my lord,” the knights chimed in unison.

Once Merlin had sipped at some water and finished the bread that Lancelot had handed them, they resumed their quest. Yet again, the journey was peaceful – no bandits, no wild animals, no villain hell bent on derailing them.

“You’d think the most powerful sorcerer in the world would have at least tried to stop us by now,” Gwaine murmured.

“Why not just be thankful instead of opening your mouth?” Percival remarked.

“I’m just saying, if I were an all powerful guy with magic I would set up every trap to exist and –” 

Gwaine’s words were cut off by the Prince suddenly pulling his horse to a stop.

“We’re here?” he spoke, confusion filling his tone.

Slipping off his mare, the Prince held the device and turned on his heel. He paced around, his eyes focused on the device. No matter how he orientated himself, his hand or the device, the arrow seemed to be pointing to a non-descript grassy area to the side of the woods.

“But, no one’s here,” Leon commented. “Not even a house or even any trace that a person’s been here!”

“Is the device broken?” Lancelot asked.

“Maybe you’re holding it wrong,” Gwaine grinned.

Merlin knew it was time to enact the plan. He peered over Arthur’s shoulder, as if to confirm what the device was showing them.

“Maybe, it’s supposed to show us where to meet the sorcerer,” he suggested slyly. “Magic works in weird ways, maybe the sorcerer will come to us if we stay here?”

Lancelot thought for a second and then shrugged, “Sounds like a good as lead as any.”

“Then we’ll set up camp here for the night,” Arthur spoke. “Let’s hope for that druid’s sake that you're right, Merlin.”

The next hour was spent under the setting sun, with the men preparing to set up camp – gathering firewood, heading into the woods to hunt for some rabbits, or forming tents from the largest branches they could find. Once all the knights had found something to do, Merlin quietly slipped away. He had to find the locket quickly. He still wasn’t entirely sure what we would do when he had found it. 

Perhaps he could cast a simple sleep spell upon Arthur and the knights? Just for a few days until he was sure the druid had fled Camelot. And in that time, he could break the device. Convince the knights that they were tricked by the powerful sorcerer. It wasn’t a great plan, but it was the only plan he had, until he could think of a better one.

“Merlin, what are you doing? I doubt the greatest sorcerer of all time would be buried in the ground.”

Arthur’s voice was full of bemusement. But also a little softer than his usual cutting tone.

“Oh, sorry sire, I was just digging a pit for the fire.”

“You really do only have half a brain, you know that, Merlin? A fire pit doesn’t have to be deep enough to bury a body!”

The prince shook his head and under his breath muttered, “And to think I was worried you’d ended up collapsed somewhere.”

“What did you say, my lord?” Merlin asked, not having catched the last sentence.

“Nothing, Merlin,” the prince spoke. “Just talk to Elyan, he’s got the firewood so you can make actual use of your ‘firepit’.”

“Oh, I will talk to Elyan then,” Merlin said, as Arthur turned and walked towards some of the other knights.

By the time night fell, the knights were eagerly gathered around the fire, fully ablaze, roasting rabbits. They chatted merrily, deep into the dark hours, until most decided to head to sleep. Before long, only a very sleepy Merlin still sat by the glowing embers.

Fighting to keep his eyes open, the young man stumbled as he tried to get back to his feet. This was his best shot, while the knights slept. He needed to find the locket now.

If he concentrated, he could feel the pulse of his magic in the earth. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell exactly where, but it had to be nearby, right? He tried to follow the sense of magic, but in his fatigue it felt near impossible.

Then, in his head, an idea appeared.

The device! It was a guide directly to his magic, to the locket!

Merlin stumbled over to Arthur’s horse and felt through all the bags for the device, but even after triple checking every one, it was nowhere to be found. It dawned on Merlin, that the prince must have taken the device with him when he retired to sleep.

Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.

Not to be deterred, Merlin turned and made way towards the prince’s tent. Running on little more than his last energy reserve and sleep-deprived convinced, Merlin descended upon the sleeping Arthur, swiftly feeling through his pockets. 

And there it was. The cool of the metal and the slight warmth of magic radiated from the device through to Merlin’s fingertips. He pulled it out slowly, trying not to stir the prince. Luckily, for Merlin, Arthur barely stirred at all. 

Desperate to find the locket and reunite with his magic, Merlin shuffled out of the tent and held the device aloft. In his hands, it glowed brilliantly, the carvings dancing across the surface. They formed various animals, from eagles to deer and mice to dogs, before forming a bright arrow.

“Finally!” Merlin breathed, following the arrow to a spot several paces from where the fire had now completely burned out. 

On his hands and knees, he tore wildly into the dirt. The pull of his magic was so strong, he couldn’t stop himself now even if he tried. Merlin kept scratching at the dirt until he finally saw the silver of the chain. He yanked the locket out of the ground and clasped it tightly, feeling the pulse of his magic echo through him.

He needed his magic back. It was a deep longing inside of him to be returned whole.

If he hadn’t been so sleep deprived, then his rational brain would have probably stopped him, but at this point it was too late. Without thinking, the sorcerer uttered the incantation to reverse the spell.

For a second, there was a silence.

Then a giant wave of energy crashed outward from the locket, flinging Merlin back, far into the forest and echoing throughout the area with a large boom. 

At the sound, the knights scrambled awake from their sleep, swords drawn. It didn’t take them very long to notice that the device had gone missing.

“Spread out, find the device, find the source of the noise, find anything!” Arthur demanded, cursing himself for trusting the druid.

It must have all been a trap. They had been all lured out to a secluded area and were about to be ambushed.

The knights searched around the camp, peering into the woods.

“Why didn’t anyone stay awake as nightwatch?” Leon mouthed, slight anger in his tone.

“Why didn’t you think of that before we went to bed?” Gwaine disputed.

“Why don’t you both shut up and just focus on searching!” Lancelot added.

The knights’ comments soon descended into a full quarrel. With swords drawn, sleep interrupted and anger rising high, they had almost seemed to have forgotten what they were doing. Suddenly, Elyan’s voice cut in:

“Errr, guys? I found the device but – why is it pointing at Merlin?”

Elyan’s question immediately silenced the knights’ argument.

Arthur rushed immediately to Elyan and his eyes settled upon Merlin, who was leaning against a tree, clutching at his side. And then, the prince’s eyes drifted towards the device. It lay upon the grassy ground, but glowed more violently than it had before. And that bright glowing arrow, pointed directly at Merlin.

“Merlin,” Arthur started, slowly. “Why is the device pointing towards you?”

“I don’t know,” said Merlin, breathless from being flung across the air.

Arthur raised his sword towards the young man.

“Explain yourself, now!” he demanded.

“I said, I don’t know!” Merlin insisted, trying to feign ignorance.

But as he spoke, the hand in which he held the locket began to glow with the gold essence of magic. The glow flowed from the dangling locket, up through the chain and through Merlin’s hand and arm towards his heart. It was his magic returning to him. And it was happening right in front of Arthur.

“Merlin!” Arthur roared. “What is the meaning of this?”

Before Merlin could even speak, Arthur had rushed over to him, sword in hand. With nowhere to go, Merlin was pinned against the tree – the tip of Arthur’s sword resting upon his throat.

The knights rushed towards the commotion, but once they had all gathered they felt unable to interfere. Thoughts rushed through their minds, from feelings of confusion to surprise to fear. They didn’t know what to do.

“You have magic?” the prince spat, his voice flooded with anger. “All this time! You had magic!”

The sorcerer felt the last of his magic return to him as the locket turned cold. He couldn’t find the words to tell Arthur the truth, even though he now knew. 

“Arthur…” he breathed, trailing off when no words could escape his lips.

Rage burned in the prince’s eyes. Betrayal running hot through his blood. He pushed closer towards Merlin, the sword almost breaking skin. As he drew closer, the locket brushed against Arthur’s leg and he jolted slightly.

“Merlin,” Arthur spoke, calm but stern. “You are the most powerful sorcerer in Camelot? Answer me truthfully.”

“Yes,” Merlin answered meekly, staring directly into Arthur’s eyes. “I am.”

“You have magic?” Arthur asked.

“Yes.”

Arthur stared for a long time in silence at the man at the end of his sword. The servant he had come to know and love. A man he trusted just as much as any of his knights, if not more. A man who had hidden from him something almost unforgivable. Almost. 

“Merlin, swear to me that you’ve never used magic to harm Camelot.”

“I swear!”

Prince Arthur lowered his sword and struck his sword into the ground, turning around to look at his knights.

“From now on, anyone who uses magic for the sake of Camelot and not against it, is under my protection,” he cried.

After his declaration, breathing heavily, Arthur turned back towards the camp leaving the knights confused and concerned. Lancelot rushed over to Merlin's side.

“Are you alright, Merlin?” he spoke quickly.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just confused,” he answered, rubbing his neck where the sword had nicked his throat.

“Well, it’s not like he could actually kill you,” Lancelot shrugged. “That man loves you more than any of us.”

“You could kill a puppy in front of him and he’d find an excuse for you,” Gwaine added, pulling Merlin in for a hug. “But how come you never told me, eh? Am I not good enough for the sorcerer supreme?”

“No, I just didn’t th–” Merlin started.

“Shh, I’m only kidding,” Gwaine smiled, ruffling his friend’s hair. “I can’t imagine it's something you could just spit out.”

“So, you’re all fine with me having magic?” Merlin asked nervously.

The rest of the knight shuffled uncomfortably.

“I’ve never known a time in which we haven’t been ordered to destroy magic,” Leon admitted. “But I do know you, Merlin. I know you’re a good and honest man.”

“Yeah, if you were all evil, you would have killed Arthur long ago,” Percival shrugged.

“You’ve saved my life before,” Elyan spoke. “What kind of a knight would I be if I forget that just because you’ve got magic?”

“See,” Lancelot smiled softly. “You are greatly loved. Magic or no magic, it’s all the same. Now, let’s get back home. We’ll figure something out to tell Uther later.”

-----------

As the rest of the knights stood and conversed about their plans to ride back to the castle and convince Uther the plan had failed, Arthur slipped away to take a seat next to his dearest servant.

“Thank you, Arthur,” Merlin spoke softly. “Thank you for trusting in me.”

“Merlin,” Arthur started. “You have been by my side all this time. Even when my father has killed your kind. Even when I had blindly followed his wishes to follow in his footsteps. If, like he said, all magic was evil, then why would you have stayed.”

“Arthur, I–”

“I should be thanking you, Merlin. All this time, you’ve been protecting me, haven’t you?”

“Well, it wasn’t just–”

“You’ve used magic to protect me? And don’t lie to me. I saw it all, when I touched the locket. All the memories of when you had used your magic to save me.”

“...”

“You used magic. For me.”

“Yes.”

“Then how could I ever kill you? How could I ever kill magic?”

“But what about your father?”

“I’ll convince him.”

“But it’ll be hard.”

“I’ll convince him. I have to. If not for you, for every man, woman and child of magic that has been killed because my father was afraid.”

“Arthur, I need you to know; I would never use magic against you, Arthur. Not ever, I swear it.”

“You don’t need to. I believe you.”

Merlin let out a long breath and felt his eyes water.

“Are you crying?” Arthur asked, concerned.

“No, no, I’m just tired,” Merlin spluttered, the last several hours catching up to him. “I just need to sleep.”

The most powerful sorcerer felt his body finally give in to sleep, falling to the left. But before he could hit the ground, Arthur caught him and gently pulled the man’s body towards him, letting Merlin’s head rest on his shoulder. 

“Rest now,” he whispered. “The most powerful sorcerer in the world is forever worthy of sleeping on my shoulder.”

[blues824]

Talking about the uppermoons how would they react to the female Solomon reader.

🧙‍♀️Learning that a human has cured ubuyashiki and later on muzan learning that it was not just a regular human but a human that has reatched his goal in life to become immortal and learning that she was born around 1000 bc and is one of the strongest sorcerers in the world.

✨How pissd of whoud they bet that a regular human became immortal on accident because of her shitty food when they though she did it on purpose but later on find out it she became immortal on accident.

🧙‍♀️Them later on finding out that she used to be married to yoriichi and that her even had the pact of Solomon (and kokushibo not knowing about it and being angry that his younger brother outdid him by being married with the most powerful soreror )

✨And her helping the demon slayers ever since and now has resurfaced and is helping the hashira and ubuyashiki again .

🧙‍♀️Them learning that the used to be royalty with a 1000 lovers and wives learning that they library of Solomon holds books that can destroy the world that only she can enter because of her magic.

✨Imagen them kidnapping her and hers summenig her 72 demon and telporting away and later on telling the demon slayers and ubuyashiki about the location of the infinity castle.

🧙‍♀️The uppermoons and muzan learning that she has pacts with demons that are way stronger than them and don't eat human flesh but their soul.

Does not include Hantengu or any of his other personas. Sorry, but it’s too much. I did include Gyokko and Nakime, tho.

Muzan Kibutsuji

He knew you existed, and for years he had been searching for you. After all, you were the wife of one of his greatest enemies, as well as an incredibly powerful ally to the Demon Slayer Corps. Not just that, but you were immortal and could roam the earth. You also cured Kagaya Ubuyashiki, so it was no wonder he wanted to see where you got your magic from.

However, when he did manage to somehow kidnap you, you didn’t do anything to demonstrate your power. In fact, you just sat there as you teased about how he was just so angry that he couldn’t conquer the Sun while you had 1000 spouses since he had become a demon. You could even destroy all of demonkind with just a whisper of an incantation, you further pissed him off by saying this.

Eventually, you got a bit tired and you knew that the demon slayers were struggling trying to get you back, so you activated each and every demon pact you had and proceeded to beat his ass and stomp it into the ground. As he laid there, battered and bruised, you stated how sorry you were for the diseases he had in his life and how they led to the decline of his quality of both life and demon-life.

Kokushibo

He was very angry that his brother managed to outdo him once again, but this time in picking a spouse. You were a legend all over the world, with powers unmatched and immortality, along with being able to roam about in the Sun, his brother won the jackpot. But, as furious as he is, he follows Muzan’s order to keep you alive.

The Rip-Off Michael Jackson himself had put everyone on shifts to look out after you and make sure that you weren’t up to deep shit. But, Kokushibo was aware that you would try to use his brother against him. What he didn’t expect was for you to say ‘I dreamed of meeting you, based on the wonderful things Yoriichi had told me about you. At least his wish was granted’.

This threw him for a loop as he just stared at you in shock. You took the chance to summon the 72 demons you had pacts with and quickly made an escape. As strong as your brother-in-law was, he stood no chance against the demons you associate yourself with. In addition to that, the demon slayers that were trying to get you back got assistance from a different kind of demon.

Douma

This man was not opposed to being assigned a shift of watching over you. In fact, he was very excited. But once he walked into the room with a smile, you (with a matching smile) told him to drop the cheery exterior and show his real self. Well, you didn’t have to be such a mood killer, now did you? He asked, after ditching the fake ass smile.

To be fair, while you were being held captive, you got to read Douma for who he really was. You were aware that he was idolized as a child for his eyes, and you were also aware that he was leading people to a false paradise that he didn’t even believe in. However, you knew that it was real, and that it was the Celestial Realm. You didn’t think it would be worth arguing with him, as it was his belief.

However, you drew the line when he said that it was sad how you didn’t make your husband immortal as well, and that it must have been because you were selfish. You let your emotions get the better of you, as this was a matter concerning the man you loved. Thus, Douma was trampled by the 72 infinitely stronger demons. Not completely dead, but he did not recover fast enough to stop you from making your escape.

Akaza

He wanted to challenge you to a fight to see if you were strong, but Muzan had ordered him not to. Unfortunately, for his shift, he was paired up with Kokushibo… the goody-two-shoes who always followed the rules. But, upon entering the room where you were tied to a chair, you said ‘I wish I could have been there. I could have healed your father, and your wife’.

This stopped the Uppermoon in his tracks, as there was no way you could have known about his life when he was a human. To be fair, you were a powerful sorceress, but to have this amount of power over him with just words. His partner didn’t have much mercy taken upon him either, and he knew that this would be a struggle.

At some point in the night, you sensed that the demon slayers were struggling due to a spell you had set in place, and you summoned the 72 demons you had on standby to pummel the two into the ground. You needed to escape, and you were aware that you wouldn’t be able to recite a spell quickly enough. You had to admit that you did feel bad for just layering on more pain, but to be fair, you were the one who was kidnapped first.

Gyokko

To say that he wasn’t excited to be ‘babysitting’ you would be the understatement of both his and your immortal lives. However, you weren’t exactly happy to be here either. Whenever you would attempt any form of small talk, he would bark at you to keep quiet and tell you that he was only here because the master had ordered him to be.

But, you were able to see into his human life, and you had to admit that he had been pretty fucked up as a kid. The villagers didn’t help either. You, in a moment of quiet, whispered that ‘an interest and fascination with the dead after seeing your parents’ corpses isn’t unusual’. This caught Gyokko’s attention, as he was constantly ostracized for his peculiar and even mortifying interest.

However, this little dance of trying to understand him was getting too tiring, so you summoned your 72 strong-as-hell demons and broke out of the restraints. It was saddening, as you wished to know his entire story and how you could help him reach the Celestial Realm. But, it was no longer your concern. What was your concern was making sure that the demon slayers didn’t die for you.

Nakime

Upon meeting her, you knew that this would be a rather boring night. Her responses to any questions you asked were kept brief and to-the-point, not wanting to let you receive any more information than what Muzan deemed necessary. Plus, there was danger in you knowing more than you needed to know.

But, you were the most powerful sorceress in the world, and you already knew more information than was given to you. You even said that you thought her music was beautiful, but that her husband was shitty. Her hands stopped one one of the strings on her biwa, surprised at what you had said.

When you felt some of the demon slayers you had a personal connection to shout your name with the spell you had once given to your husband to seal away, you knew that it was time to wrap up the show. You ordered your demons to not kill Nakime, as you knew that it would disrupt the fate planned out for her, but they left her incapacitated enough for you to escape and help the demon slayers.

Daki 

So, she also wasn’t exactly pleased to be put on a shift. After all, the master was showing clear favoritism towards you. She wasn’t able to lay a single finger upon a single strand of hair on your head. But, she didn’t want to anger Muzan, and thus followed his order. However, she did not indulge in any small talk.

‘You are fortunate to have your brother, but it’s disheartening to know how you have struggled in life and in your current afterlife’. This caused Daki to do a double take, as she knew that there was no way you could have known about her human life. She had to recompose herself so that you wouldn’t be able to see her as vulnerable.

As the night went on, you suddenly got a chill down your spine: a demon slayer had been killed. You summoned all 72 demons and ordered an attack to get you out, and you broke out of the restraints. It was all a whirlwind, but you used your magic to make it an easier escape. You were very angry, to say the least.

Gyutaro

Another person who is not excited to be watching over you, but he had received a warning from his sister that you would try to manipulate him by telling him that you were saddened by his human life. So, he went in expecting it, but you didn’t say anything. Instead, you just watched him as he took a seat in front of you.

What you did say was, ‘You regret being a bad influence to your sister. Don’t be. You taught her to be strong and resilient, and I saw that during her shift.’ Well, you just hit close to home, didn’t you? Gyutaro didn’t really know what to say in response, so he just stayed quiet. However, he saw that you were very graceful and very tender, but he tried not to let his guard down.

Eventually, you got the all too familiar shiver down your spine, and you knew that it was time to leave and help the demon slayers. You summoned your demons, and you were sad that Gyutaro was fighting his hardest while the 72 demons on your side were barely giving their ten percent.

[hayanwulf]

Secrets and Villains - 1

Tony waited vigilantly within the walls of the ancient desert temple, all the lights of his suit powered down so that he may not be spotted in the dark.

It was midnight. The sky shone with a thousand bright stars, their light unimpeded by the clear atmosphere of the Sahara.

Back in New York, it was only late evening.

Stephen would be expecting him back home soon, thinking that he was currently busy with some SI meeting, completely unsuspecting of his activities as Iron Man.

Completely unaware of his identity as the world’s most infamous villain.

Or, well, one of the most.

It was arguable.

Because ‘The Order’, a group of recently emerged powerful magic users, came pretty damn close to contending Iron Man for being the greatest threat to Earth.

But there could only be one top dog in this world, and Tony would make sure that it was him. He had to.

He had been hunting The Order for several months at this point, to no success. They defied laws of physics like a walk in the park. They had strength in numbers. They were frustratingly good at hiding their identities, using spells to cloak faces and distort voices.

And, their leader.. ugh!

The Sorcerer Supreme — yes, that was what he called himself — infuriated Tony. He was the most powerful of them, was intelligent, and had a loyal piece of alive cloth that just loved making Tony’s life harder in general. He had tried to fight the asshole so many times, had tried to trick him, lure him into traps. Every single time, the Sorcerer Supreme had defeated or outmaneuvered him, and he’d been forced to retreat to save his own ass.

But every failure had taught Tony something new about the Sorcerer Supreme. With each failed attempt, he’d learned, he gotten better.

And now.. now he was confident that he could take down the Sorcerer Supreme. Once and for all.

Because this time Tony wasn’t the one coming to the Sorcerer Supreme. The Sorcerer Supreme was going to be come to Tony, tracking down the magical activity in this temple, expecting nothing but some mild disturbance.

Tony had the element of surprise, now.

He’d had to pull a favor to make this happen, but he sure as hell was confident that this would be worth it.

He waited there patiently, just staring up at the starlit sky.

A few minutes in, Stephen messaged him asking when he’d be coming back home. He texted back that the meeting would continue for longer than expected, and apologized for bailing on their dinner out.

He watched as a reply from Stephen immediately popped up. It’s fine. I’ve got other things to keep me occupied.

He felt a stab of guilt.

He hated this, lying to Stephen. Stephen was the one person with whom he could just be himself, no masks and no pretenses. And yet, there was this mask and and an entire part of his life he was hiding.

But how could he ever tell Stephen the truth? Stephen would... he’d leave.

And then Tony would truly have no one left.

“Portal signatures detected,” JARVIS’ voice instantly put Tony on alert, and he shifted himself into a battle mindset.

Thoughts about Stephen could wait.

He quickly slid himself further inside the temple, and peeked out through a small window as a perfect, fiery portal spun to life on the sand dunes. Out of it stepped Sorcerer Supreme and The Librarian (seriously, could they not have picked better names?) and the portal swirled close behind them.

They walked closer to the temple in unison, some spell active around the Sorcerer Supreme’s wrist. Tony waited for them to get closer, watching their glowing eyes flicker.

The spell they used to cloak their face formed a thick, evil looking fog all around their head, the only discernible feature being a pair of blank glowing eyes.

All of the sorcerers in The Order had orange-golden sort of glowing eyes, just like their magic.

The Sorcerer Supreme had blue.

To this day, Tony couldn't tell if there was a technical reason for that or if he just did it to assert himself as the leader or something.

As soon as the pair of sorcerers stepped inside, Tony sprung into action, firing nanite contraptions on both of them that immediately latched around their hands binding them down tightly. They were obviously not expecting him, because they let out a noise of surprise which actually came out undistorted for a brief moment.

Without the mobility of their hands, the sorcerers were more or less sitting ducks.

“Like my new mouse trap?” Tony said, letting his armor light up with power, the blue of his arc reactor lighting up the area with a faint glow.

“Can’t say I’m surprised that you had to resort to tricks again to get to us,” the Sorcerer Supreme drawled.

“Ah, you’re jealous that I’m just smarter than you.”

Sorcerer Supreme scoffed. “If you truly believe that, you’re delusional.”

“I don’t believe it,” Tony said, sending a command to squeeze the handcuff nanites real good for emphasis. A hiss escaped the Sorcerer Supreme’s lips, and Tony smirked victoriously. “I know it.”

The red cape flew off his shoulders and shot straight towards Tony. Nope; he’d already anticipated that. He reacted quickly and dodged out of its way, sending a nanites contraption that caught it in its trap. There; that would keep it occupied for a good few minutes. He turned back to the sorcerers—

Only to realize that a couple of portals were forming around them. Damn it. Sorcerer Supreme had been stalling him.

It was fine. He could still salvage this.

He engaged the two new sorcerers in battle, trying to keep them away from Sorcerer Supreme and The Librarian.

But he had never stood a chance against so many of them engaging him together, and that was, unfortunately for him, not going to change tonight.

Sorcerer Supreme broke free of the cuffs Tony had put on his hands, and oh, he was furious. He made sure to display as much with how the blue of his eyes flared bright and angry.

It was a deadly, messy exchange of blows from there. Tony got very overwhelmed very quickly and he had to, once again, resort to running away before any more of his suit’s integrity had been damaged. He shot up into the night sky, leaving the sorcerers behind.

Another day, another failure...

At least, he thought as he flew above the Atlantic Ocean, he could still go back home, back to Stephen.

He landed in his bunker Upstate, made sure he wasn't followed, scanned himself to make sure they hadn't left any kind of magical tracker or.. other invasive magic on him, and tended to his wounds.

Or at least, as much as he could.

He needed to appear passable, he had a doctor for a partner. He had years of experience with hiding pain, and yet Stephen could easily tell when he was hurt. The Doc’s ability to perform an entire MRI or something on Tony with just his eyes never failed to baffle Tony. It was like his eyes were magic or something. For all he knew, they were.

The gash on his hip was the worst, thankfully it wouldn’t be visible. He put on some concealer on the bruises on his face and hands. He gave himself a once-over on the mirror, fixing his shirt a little.

That would have to do. With some luck, Stephen wouldn't suspect anything and Tony wouldn't have to use yet another clumsy excuse.

He flew back to New York, landed on another secure bunker, and drove back to the Tower from there.

Entering the penthouse floor, he found Stephen contently sitting on the couch, a book in his lap. He smiled as he approached the couch from behind, and wrapped his hands around Stephen’s shoulders, who glanced up at him with warmth in his eyes.

“How was the meeting?” Stephen asked, leaning up to kiss him on the lips.

Tony returned the kiss. “Just boring. Let’s not talk about boring stuff.” He glanced down at the book in Stephen’s lap. “That’s your way to ‘keep yourself occupied?’ Reading?” He raised a judgemental eyebrow.

Stephen rolled his eyes. “Reading is a perfectly fine medium of entertainment. But no, I got called at Metro General to provide consultation for a special case.” There was a flicker of an expression in his face, but it was gone before Tony could have read it. He didn't need to read it, though. He could guess.

Stephen sometimes talked about his days as the best surgeon in the field. There was always a melancholy, a longing in his eyes whenever he talked about it. He never said it out loud, but Tony knew that he missed it dearly, being able to have full function of his hands, being able to operate on people and save lives.

Tony hadn't met Stephen until nearly a year after his accident. Though, sometimes he wondered what kind of a person Stephen had been back then, what kind of life he’d had. If he’d truly been as much of an asshole as he claimed to be. If he’d been even more prideful and elegant. If he’d.. if he’d been happy, with his life. If he hadn’t had to pretend to be happy.

It seemed that, these days, both of them were just pretending. To what end, neither of them knew.

“Tell me about the case?” Tony suggested, absently running his fingers through Stephen’s scalp, hands still snugly wrapped around the shoulders.

Stephen’s eyes shone bright with interest, and he shut the book close with a hand. “Thought you’d never ask.”

“And miss out on the very sexy sight of you talking science?” Tony let go of Stephen to walk around to the front and sit next to him on the couch, body turned towards him with admiration in his eyes and a smirk on his lips, giving Stephen all of his undivided attention. “Wouldn’t dream of that, Sweetcakes.”

Stephen’s lip twitched upward as he put the book away. He readjusted himself to comfortably face Tony as well, and started to talk all about the day’s case.

Tony’s hand instinctively reached out to Stephen’s, but he stilled when Stephen abruptly pulled away his hand.

“Sorry,” Stephen mumbled, voice a little guilty.

“Bad hands day?” Tony asked gently.

Stephen was quiet for a moment. Then, hesitantly, he gave a nod.

Tony offered a hand. “Let me take care of them?”

Stephen gave in, putting a shaking hand in Tony’s hold. Tony warmly smiled up at him and started to gently massage the hand, while Stephen continued with his passionate talk on the procedure he’d suggested for the patient.

His hands were shaking way worse than usual, Tony noted. They also felt.. swollen. At least to his touch. When he glanced down, though, there was no swelling, just scars running down lean fingers. But the touch felt so out-of-sync with the sight that he had to glance down multiple times to assure himself that they were, in fact, not swollen.

Maybe his brain was just being weird. Yeah, that was it.

Stephen’s talk slowly simmered down as he just, allowed himself to feel Tony’s fingers caressing his.

“How do you feel?” Tony asked when Stephen had gone quiet, his eyes closed and features relaxed.

Stephen leaned in and propped his forehead on Tony’s shoulder.

“Safe,” he said quietly, a single word conveying so much more emotion than actual words could have.

And, oh, it shattered something inside of Tony.

If only you knew the things these hands have done, Tony thought, dropping a kiss on Stephen’s hair.

Would you still feel safe leaving yours in their grasp?

[theconstantsidekick]

“Now that I remember everything, did you… Did you bring me back?” Arthur asks, genuine. He looks absolutely genuine in his query. Merlin has to laugh at that. “I said I’m the greatest sorcerer to ever walk the Earth. I am not a God.” “Are you sure?” Arthur looks unabashedly serious. He looks at Merlin as if he thinks Merlin wouldn’t know for sure what his magic can do. Moreover, he looks at Merlin like he’s convinced that Merlin is indeed a God in some regard.  Merlin smiles, astounded, once again—not by the passages of time, but by his oldest of friends. “Yes, sire . Quite sure.”

I've been having some cheeky bit of fun writing this. Read it if you like?