#Morgause was a later addition

[springs-hurts]

Okay it's little sad but kind of funny how Merlin didn't know his father, Arthur didn't know his mother as in just one parent. Arthur was good with swords, Merlin had magic...

Meanwhile Morgana and Morgause- both Orphans,both had magic and were good with swords, a complete package 😭😭🙏🙏

#We definitely did not need Arthur and Merlin #Just kidding #In all seriousness #Don't think Morgana was as good with swords as fandom likes to portray #Because Arthur worked on his skills #Had tutors to help him #Morgana #Don't think she had that much training #And anyway #Who cares #Arthur was best warrior out there go argue with a wall #But I digress #Morgause was a later addition #Later as in #In my mind later #Anyway #So Merlin and Arthur were completing each other #Morgana didn't need anyone else to complete her #That's why she didn't need any partner #Yes #bbc merlin #bbc arthur #BBC Morgana #Morgana pendragon #arthur pendragon #merlin bbc #Arthur and Merlin #Two sides of same coin #Morgana was like- I don't need an other half #I'm enough for myself

[aetherdecember]

Look, I love BBC Merlin and how they told the lore, but I’m a sucker for the relationship between Arthur and Mordred in the mythology. Specifically, I love how Mary Stewart (author of The Arthurian Saga**) and Nancy Springer (author of I Am Mordred**) wrote about the father/son relationship between them. So naturally, my brain has been conjuring up how I can include that in my Flipping the Coin au.

Since the main premise is Merlin died/Arthur lives, and now Arthur is the one waiting for Merlin to come back, things would stay consistent with canon up to the last episode (when Merlin flips the coin of their destiny and sacrifices himself so Arthur can live and thus stop Camlann from happening altogether). Which is where this idea will start:

Gwen is barren. She and Arthur never have kids. Eventually, everyone Arthur knows and loves dies. He can’t rule Camelot forever, and after Gwen’s death, he no longer wants to, so he fakes his death and wanders off figure out why he’s still here. He never gets an answer for that. Arthur spends the next millennium waiting. He keeps living. He meets people, experiences things he’d never experienced before, and learns things he’d never dreamed of learning. He can’t stay anywhere long, or else suspicions will rise, but he gets to see the world change, how technology advances, and witness humans continuing to be humans. When war breaks out, he joins the battle. It’s familiar. The rush of adrenaline is the same whether he’s wielding a sword or a gun. Only, he can’t see the enemy’s face anymore.

Peace comes again. At some point, he sleeps with a woman, and she happens to become pregnant. Bisexual disaster that he is, he’s had all sorts of partners from both sexes, but has never had this happen, even before the advent of reliable birth control. Later, he’ll learn her name is Morgause. She doesn’t look like the Morgause he knew before, nor does she act like her, but her name haunts him. After the baby is born, she gives him to Arthur, says she has no intentions of being a mother, and leaves. The last thing she had said to him was the baby’s name.

Mordred.

That night, Arthur holds Mordred and weeps.

There is irony in his son being named Mordred. First, in that the legends surrounding him, Merlin, Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table, and all of it, had long ago decided Mordred was his son. And two, in a retelling of that legend, it had aptly phrased what he sensed was happening now. Granted, he isn’t a sorcerer, he doesn’t have magic, so he can’t support his feeling with anything other than he’d been around a long time and knew to his very core that it was true. Mordred’s birth is a signal of the beginning of the end.

Fatherhood brings him a new sense of purpose. Gone are the days of loneliness and drudgery. Every day with Mordred brings a new light into his life. Each smile is a miracle. Seeing Mordred experience things for the first time brings a new appreciation. Being there to watch him grow makes time fly like it never has before. But Arthur is afraid. He doesn’t want to be his father. He doesn’t know how to be a father, or what the right way to do it is. In all the years he’s been on the Earth, he’s never known a man who could concretely say, “This is the way to raise a son,” and actually reap the fruits of their efforts. Too frequently, he’d seen sons grow outside of the visions their fathers molded for them and receive only disappointment and disdain in return. So he was afraid, because he too had been that son.

*cue a series of fluffy father/son one shots of Arthur raising Mordred until Merlin comes back, takes one look, and is is like WTF????? No, I won’t have Mordred for a step son >:(*

**Mary Stewart and Nancy Springer have several other works, not just the stories I mentioned. The ones mentioned are the ones I’m pulling inspiration from ^^

Additional notes below the break:

Guinevere’s barrenness is not a headcanon I typically subscribe to for BBC Merlin. My headcanon is that after Arthur’s death, Gwen gives birth, and their child eventually succeeds her as ruler.

I’ve always seen Mordred’s appearance as the harbinger of Arthur’s downfall. Thus, the reason for the plot bunnies in my brain going crazy with this idea of how I could bring him in, still remain mostly canon compliant with BBC Merlin, and build off some of my favorite parts of the lore. (Mandatory disclaimer: for BBC Merlin, I don’t headcanon Mordred as Arthur’s son. But for the mythology, I do wholeheartedly support that canon.)

Arthur’s choice to participate and live once Camelot is gone is a decision to contrast my headcanon of how Merlin handled it. I don’t think Merlin thrived. I think he stayed busy, and tried to remain hopeful, but I think he was anxiously consumed with the anticipation of wondering when Arthur would come back. In this au, Arthur may or may not know that Merlin is supposed to come back (I’m still working on that detail), but he’s always been around others. I think he would seek camaraderie, and companionship, and that he would connect with others but only to a superficial level. I don’t think he’d exist in a void of loneliness. Plus, he doesn’t have the guilt of knowing he failed because the pressure from the prophecy is very one sided *coughcough*causemerlinnevertoldhim*coughcough*

Anyways, that’s enough rambling from me about this. I’ll probably share some snippets of writing next because there are some fantastic scenes coming together in the draft so stay tuned! ;D

#bbc merlin #merlin #arthur pendragon #mordred #flipping the coin #my drabbles #arthurian mythology will always be my jam #you can tear this au from my cold dead hands but it will live on #merthur #for the Merlin not wanting Mordred as a stepson joke the last Mordred he knew turned on them to join Morgana #as far as Merlin is concerned they’re the same person #he’ll come around eventually once Arthur fills him in on everything #btw Arthur’s son Mordred is unaware of all of this #he’s having to process his dad - who has never really been interested in anybody for any reason - is completely besotted with some guy #once he learns this ‘some guy’ used to be his father’s servant it does not make things better #but by then he’ll have learned enough that it does clear things up #he’s actually a big fan of Merlin #he just wasn’t prepared for love sick puppy dog Arthur 24/7 now that Merlin’s back

[tiodolma]

all the deaths of merlin's loved ones had a connection to arthur and morgana bruh lmaoo

season 1

WILL - morgana was the first to offer support to merlin's cause, arthur followed, will got hit with an arrow for arthur

season 2

FREYA - merlin stole morgana's dress for her coz he wanted to make her more confident and happy, arthur ran a sword thru freya in her bastet form

BALINOR - dragon's payment was to be freed in exchange for telling merlin how to cure the curse (kill morgana), merlin and arthur persuaded (guilted) balinor enough to come back, balinor takes a hit for merlin

morgana loses alvarr and the other radicals, gains an ally in morgause

season 3

NOBODY THAT MERLIN MORGANA LOVES DIES. (yay?)

merlin gains an ally in gwaine (but dude dislikes magic so he's kinda like arthur too)

season 4

LANCELOT - morgana unleashes dorocha to spread havoc, lancelot sacrifices himself to stop merlin from sacrificing himself in arthur's place

at this point, morgana loses morgause too.. and then agravaine and helios later (close confidants and allies of morgana).

season 5

FINNA - arthur and morgana both chase merlin and the sorceress down to the point where finna sacrificed herself for merlin

DAEGAL - morgana machinations made him and daegal meet, daegal works for and then against morgana, takes an arrow meant for merlin

at this point morgana loses daegal and also the whole catha sect. (possible strong allies of morgana). Notably though, this is Morgana real attempt to kill Merlin once and for all (bruh it took morgana 5 seasons and it wasnt even for revenge, but just a step in the destabilization plan) merlin has no real magical allies now. tho gwaine is there as next closest thing (but not magic related)

it's interesting how it's all interconnected though.

S1 and S2 Morgana started out as Merlin's biggest direct and unknowing supporter, with her being the first to offer support to save his mom and also her dress clothed Merlin's girlfriend in her final resting place.

Fires of Idirsolas tore them apart and lead to Morgana and Balinor slipping from Merlin's life.

S3 was a respite with no familial deaths. Though it was the tipping point with the addition of Gwaine serving as Merlin's new sword ally (kinda like replacement for Lancelot/Morgana but not quite).

S4 Morgana steps into her power and destiny to terrorize the whole community, although the price merlin paid was his own and last true best friend and ally as well.

S5 Morgana is at the peak of her hunt for Emrys and her quest to truly embitter Arthur against all magic-folk. She personally targets t kill Merlin using Daegal and was finally successful (more successful than the fomorrah incident at least).

Merlin lost friends and allies first tho. It's because the machinations of his destiny and his freedom constantly being tightly tethered to a unclear future (arthur) that he pushed Morgana (and also Mordred) away, turning them from strong allies to really bitter enemies.

#mergana notes #mergana #bbc merlin #bbc morgana #merlin critical #merlin thoughts #essays #merlin crit #notes

[farieshades]

:)

You know what time it is.

What would you change about Merlin?

There is alot that could be further expanded on and/or changed within the series BBC Merlin shows. What I think would be most beneficial, would be expanding on the Characters, Changes to the plot and character arcs, along with an addition to what we know as "Old Religion" as it's quite vague and unclear from the little we have from the show.

The Characters

Leon, angel, nothing. 

Percival, give me backstory. I want more info.

Elyan, also backstory. Why did he leave? I want all the info. I also want you not dead sir.

Morgause, what was the point in the duel? Was it to try and convince Arthur that his father was a bastard with his mothers spirit? If so, was Ygraine’s spirit actually just an illusion made to look real, likely not. Morgause looked confused at what Ygraine was saying and shocked and no one was paying attention to her but the camera. She wanted to see if he was an honourable man unlike his father? Do-able I suppose. Suspicious activities happening here. Also, self-sacrifice to unleash mortal-killing spirits is very manslaughter of her.

Elaine, for the love,,, please I would have loved to have her included as Elaine of Garlot. Let her be another half-sister of Arthur and later go on to be a marriage alliance with her marriage to King Nentres of Garlot. Let her have a son named Galeschin, who becomes a Knight of the Round Table [and a daughter also named Elaine]. It would just be a nice dynamic of Angry Half-Sister Morgana and Helpful Half-Sister Elaine. 

Gwen… She required more screen time, let us see her being Queen and making decisions. On that note however, let us see Arthur as King rather than the focus on his childhood when he wasn’t King. It’s the Story of King Arthur and we only get one season with him as King? Let me have Queen Gwen outwitting Kings in strategy that she learned from Leon and Arthur. Let me have Queen Gwen who is powerful in her own right, set in her decisions, but never loosing the gentleness she has in season 1.

Arthur, as above, should have had time to actually rule. Like, ok, reign cut short cause Camlann. Yeah, alright, thats typical. But all the adventures he has as a King never happen. There’s nothing being added to Camelot that the audience sees. There’s no treaties, no alliances, and there’s no Kings bowing to Arthur as a High King. Disappointing. 

Merlin, somehow despite the set up as the most powerful Warlock, is also the weakest version of Merlin that we also see. I’m pretty sure Disney’s Sword in the Stone Merlin has more power than this fellow despite BBC Merlin having more power in his pinky than the Disney Merlin. Merlin is supposed to be the enchanter. The prophet. The shapeshifter. And we get none of that. This boy is dangerous, and untrained, and should have had more emphasis on this. The writers nuked his power.  

Lancelot is doing great, we love lancelot. I’d love to have him a bit more intune with Magic because he was supposedly raised by the lady of the lake, but BBC decided he wasn’t and that’s an okay decision. I’d also like, because the show stressed it so much, more interactions with Merlin + Druids. 

Gwaine I’d have loved to have been confronted by his noble past somehow. I think it would give more to the character development if we see where he came from. Hell, a flashback scene would work. Little Gwaine running away from home. Or maybe, visitations to Camelot and the like. 

Gaius, as much as I hate to say, should have died season 2-3. Before Uther did in my head. Its the change of a regime. The old dying out and the younger generation taking their place. Gaius and Merlin basically share the role that is, in lore, “Merlin”, the old wise mentor for Arthur and the helpful aide that protects him. But, in killing him off, there is a chance for Merlin to blossom as a court Physician. He’d have a seat on the council, and while this would restrict his movements as Manservant, he could easily take on an apprentice (you know a young impressionable boy who needs some Guidance deagle) and follow Arthur on his quests while the apprentice would tend to the folk of Camelot. There, theoretically, should be another (or more) physician within Camelot. One for the nobility, and a handful for peasantry and then a couple of Midwives. From what the show gives us, it feels like Gaius is the sole physician in the bloody kingdom. Which… if healing looks like magic, might be the case horrifically.

Morgana’s story is tragic, but flat. I do love the Evil Morgana route that is taken, but there is a disconnect between Season 1-2 and 3+ in her behaviour. She is strikingly darker, more unhinged as the series progresses. Whether this is bad writing, paranoia, or enchantments, no idea, but it could be written better. Given more time for the change to become apparent for the audience then “Morgana’s back from a year away and now she smirks evily when no one but Merlin can see.”

Mordred has an interesting dynamic in the show, he vanishes out of existence after the Alvarr episode until season 5. I’d have liked to have him as a recurring character even if it's just a mentioned name somewhere. 

Uther’s character is weird because he very quickly blames everything on Magic, even when it has a very logical explanation. “Sorcerers broke into my wards room, that’s why the glass shattered outwards into the courtyard.” is very easily explained by literally anyone breaking a glass window outwardly, no magic needed. But again, changes could be done with how quickly things are forgotten. One episode he’s talking about a guardian power watching Arthur, the next he’s trying to kill someone for protecting their loved one with healing magic, you know?

Ygraine - from the little we’ve seen - is an alright character. She could have more life given in flashbacks, something Gaius, Geoffrey, Balinor, or Uther could have done that related to something present. 

For Vivienne I’d love to know more about Morgause’s birth and how she smuggled her out to Nimueh (or another high priestess but theres only ever reference to Nimueh, then theoretically Morgause who taught Morgana who was the last). Personally I like the thought that they were siblings, as it can be seen that Morgause is a powerful sorcerer and with two children with such magic, Vivienne is a strong contender for also being magic. 

Gorlois is the most boring character and I know nothing about him outside of him living, presumably, in Cornwall. Tell me more about yourself sir. I want all the knowledge.

Balinor I’d love to see more of then “Hey, hello, I’m your son and need help and oops your dead ffs.” He had the potential to be a strong ally and a mentor to Merlin, a possible foil to Gaius and, hells, a mentor to Arthur in teaching him that magic isn’t all evil as Merlin’s obviously not doing that job.

Hunith should have more screen time, but more so, I’d love to see Merlin’s childhood stuff with Hunith just shrugging her shoulders at the impossible magic acts like “yep thats totally normal.”

The Plot of Merlin itself is fine, not much would need to change, however, there were a few times when things just don’t make sense. For example, the cup of life nonsense (alright Holy Grail knock off) didn’t make much sense for the plot. We would have been fine without it. Aithusa’s plotline works only when following the prophecies about the Red and White dragon fight that… didn’t actually happen anyway. 

[Which the prophecy in question is related to Vortigern and stated “The pool is the emblem of this world, and the tent that of your kingdom: the two serpents are two dragons; the red serpent is your dragon, but the white serpent is the dragon of the people who occupy several provinces and districts of Britain, even almost from sea to sea: at length, however, our people shall rise and drive away the Saxon race from beyond the sea, whence they originally came; but do you depart from this place, where you are not permitted to erect a citadel; I, to whom fate has allotted this mansion, shall remain here; whilst to you it is incumbent to seek other provinces, where you may build a fortress.” Which really,,, doesn’t fit the show’s battle of Camlann when Aithusa was there as the white dragon]

The Reversal of character arcs that happen is very annoying. Each episode acted like everyone was a blank slate to learn the next lesson but built on it with nothing that they remembered from the previous. If it were changed to the characters actually remembering what they learned before, the series might have had less deaths and less trust issues and betrayals.

Religion in Merlin is really confusing. Theoretically, Uther is a Christian King following the “New Religion” (that is never actually mentioned) while the “Old Religion” is that of what was before. Which, in the UK at the theoretical time, was both Celtic and Roman due to Roman occupation of most of the area barring most of scotland. The show wasn’t about Religion, really, but touching on the subject would have been nice, and maybe telling us as an audience why. ‘Lore’ wise Arthur would have likely been a Christian King (written by christian authors undoubtedly do not help this) but with tolerance to Pagan/Heathen ideas. At the very least, Arthur was nominally Christian – according to the Historia Brittonum he bore an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on his shoulders in one of his battles, while according to the Annales Cambriae he bore the Cross of Jesus Christ on his shoulders or his shield (translation errors from Welsh to Latin).

#the adventures of merlin #merlin emrys #bbc merlin #old religion #king arthur #knights of the round table #arthur pendragon #analysis

[kingcenred]

Worlds of the King

Mobile friendly verses!

Merlin Verses

Ruler of Essetir - default canon verse.

Cenred is the fearsome King of Essetir, ruling over one of the kingdoms bordering Camelot. During Uther’s Great Purge of magical beings, Uther had little regard for the borders separating Essetir from Camelot, and would often chase sorcerers down even if they crossed over. Because of this, Cenred grew deeply annoyed with the Pendragons, and was also far more accepting of magic than he had once been. This is one of the reasons why he became involved with the high priestess, Morgause, and together they attempt to take over Camelot for themselves.

2. Long Live the King

  After the plan to create an immortal army to take over Camelot fell through, and Morgause attempted to kill him, Cenred wants nothing to do with the sorceress. Nevertheless, his near-death experience has not turned him away from magic and he still employs both a court sorcerer, and a Druid as his court physician. His hunger for Camelot’s throne is still present, but it has shimmered down a little in its place, he wishes for revenge of Morgause’s betrayal.

3. Peace at Last

 Due to unforeseen situations between the two kingdoms, Cenred’s advisers persuaded him to agree to sign a peace treaty. There are no longer any wars or battles between Essetir and Camelot, and the two kings are occasionally seen in each other’s kingdoms. Although there is no longer obvious signs of discontent between them, tension is still high and there are times where the it appears that the treaty may fall through.

4. King of Camelot - Canon AU

 Finally, Cenred has destroyed the line of Pendragon, and taken over the throne. He now rules both Camelot and Essetir, and although he is as formidable as ever magic is welcome across both kingdoms. Although his thirst for Camelot’s throne had been abated, he wishes to keep control of both kingdoms and thus his next task is to produce an heir.

Additional modern, multifandom verses & AUs under the cut!

Modern Verse

King of Essetir - default modern verse. Cenred is the King of a rather small European country called ‘Essetir’, bordering Spain and France. Cenred is a popular figure to his people; a strong, stoic and serious presence that instills respect from the public. Personally, however, Cenred is significantly harder to like. Brooding, short-tempered and unsociable, it was rare to see the royal smile and rarer still to hear a laugh.

Bridgerton Verse

Searching for a Queen

Cenred is the newly crowned King of a rather small European country called ‘Essetir’, bordering Spain and France. Having recently acquired the throne due to the unexpected death of his father, his advisors are keen to return stability to the country through establishing alliances with nearby countries and ensuring an heir to the throne. As such, Cenred was invited to England for the season with the ultimate aim of returning home with a new bride.

The Three Musketeers Verse

One for All and All for One

As King, Cenred controls the European country of Essetir, which borders both France and Spain. Although a small country, Essetir has gained a fearsome reputation due to the King’s rather brutal leadership when faced with an attack by any of their enemies. The army is small but still remains one of the most organised and powerful across the whole of Europe, and although many countries have sought to form an alliance with Cenred, he has remained neutral to situations which do not directly affect him.

Harry Potter Verses

Professor Wessex

After Cenred left Hogwarts, he spent several years working for the Ministry hunting down evil magical creatures, before returning back to Hogwarts, to teach. Cenred acquired the post as ‘Defence Against the Dark Arts’ teacher, and later became head of Slytherin house. He is an impatient teacher, with a habit of yelling, but appreciates hard work and tenacity.

#ooc #verses #//mobile friendly description of my verses #about cenred #//look at me getting organised?! #roleplay #rp

[ao3feed-merlin]

Paths That Show Us

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/4NEeW7A

by Koudouni

Season 3 of Paths That Show Us. Morgana was taken by Morgause after sacrificing herself for Camelot and has now been found two years later but something is off. Arthur's awareness of Merlin's magic will change the fate of both them and the kingdom. A golden chain has guided Arthur in the past but what does it mean and where will it lead him? Merlin has more than one secret but not all are his own. How will he keep the Once and Future King alive when he's more involved now than ever? READ MY PROFILE FOR CONTENT WARNINGS.

Words: 4690, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 4 of Paths That Show Us

Fandoms: Merlin (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen, M/M, Other

Characters: Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin (Merlin), Gwaine (Merlin), Gwen (Merlin), Uther Pendragon (Merlin), Elyan (Merlin), Gaius (Merlin), Elena (Merlin), Percival (Merlin), Kilgharrah (Merlin), Lancelot (Merlin)

Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Leon & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Morgana & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Morgana & Morgause (Merlin)

Additional Tags: READ PROFILE FIRST, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), POV Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Prince Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Protective Merlin (Merlin), POV Merlin (Merlin), POV Leon (Merlin), POV Gwaine (Merlin), Golden Chain, Uther Pendragon's A+ Parenting (Merlin), uther sucks, Merlin's A Little Ruthless Sometimes, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Canon-Typical Violence, Males With Emotions

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/4NEeW7A

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #merlin #bbc merlin

[thenerdyindividual]

Okay so yesterday @sterlingdylan made this awesome analysis post about BBC Merlin, stating that it was neither Arthur’s nor Merlin’s fault that Merlin didn’t reveal his magic, something I 100% agree with.

Unfortunately, this post also got derailed by a discussion comparing Arthur’s attitudes to homophobia. Now, to be clear, I do think there are some parallels there. Writers will look to real world bigotry in order to write their fantasy bigotry better. For BBC Merlin, the bigotry does feel a lot like homophobia because magic is: a part of the characters and not something they chose, something the characters must hide or be put in danger, something characters worry makes them evil/monsters, etc. However, parallels are not the same thing as an allegory.  If we try to take BBC Merlin as a direct allegory for homophobia it falls apart because there are genuine reasons for people to be afraid of magic in the canon because it can and has killed people, controlled people, and hurt people. Queer people can’t do any of that with their queerness. Our queerness is fundamentally harmless, whereas magic is not. Also, as sterlingdylan discussed last night, if we take it as an allegory it sets up a concerning narrative about “closeted” Merlin being good, and “out” other characters being bad. Which is injecting a really extreme and problematic moral into the show, and not something we as an audience should be placing on the shoulders of the writers.

I don’t think we need to take BBC Merlin as an allegory for anything, It is enough to discuss parallels to our lives, and examine how the bigotry functions in the context of the show itself. But If we are going to be comparing it as directly as possible to something in our daily lives, then it would probably be more accurate as a narrative about extremism and essentialism. It is still an imperfect comparison because usually extremism and essentialism are not founded on genuine concern, but stick with me. It gets long so the essay is going under the cut.

Uther experienced the death of his wife at the hands of magic. Now, we know that he and Ygraine asked Nimueh for help conceiving. Whether they fully knew the cost or if Nimueh downplayed it is neither here nor there. What is relevant is that Uther was given proof of magic’s ability to harm him and the people he loved. Now, someone who did not hold the black and white “The King is always right” attitude might have taken this instance and pushed for regulation of magic rather than a ban. However, as we witness in later episodes in which he locks up his own children for defying him, Uther can never admit he was wrong so rather than say it was a bad idea to use magic in the way he did, he convinced himself that it wasn’t him who made the mistake, but that magic itself was an inherently evil corrupting force, and started the purge. He took an extreme oppositional view towards magic.

On the flip side, much of the narrative of the magic half of this battle is also about extremism. They are, rightfully, infuriated by and afraid of Uther, but they also let their anger at Uther shade their perception of Arthur. Morgana, starting in season one, was already set against Uther, but was not yet set against Arthur. However, when she met Morgause her train of thought went from justice, to revenge against Uther, to a desire for power, and finally a deep desire to see Arthur dead. Perhaps in some way Morgause really does care about creating a just world for magic users, but she clearly also has a desire for power (as seem when she encourages Morgana to stage a coup and take the throne for herself instead of try to teach Arthur, when he’s demonstrated before a willingness not to lock step with Uther) which are two things that aren’t compatible.

Morgause encourages Morgana to see the worst in the people around her, and encourages her to give into acts of extreme violence against people who don’t necessarily deserve it (ie all the peasants she was prepared to starve when they disagreed with her when she took the throne at the end of season three. A move remarkably similar to something Uther would have done). Morgana no longer stops to consider the times that Arthur stood against Uther, and comes to view Arthur not as someone who can be shown the bigger picture, but as someone inherently against magic rather than the violence it can do. This cycle does not stop with Morgana either, it also reaches Kara who refuses to see the good in Arthur even though he has shown his willingness to make peace with members of the Old Religion (druids), and was prepared to let her get away with attempted murder simply because Mordred and Merlin asked him to show her mercy.

Kara and Morgana both have come to view Arthur as inherently violent and set against magic the same way Uther came to see magic as inherently violent and set against Camelot. Neither of which are accurate views on the situation.

Arthur is the one who was prophesied to break this cycle of extremism and essentialism, and we can see him attempt to try. There are multiple occasions in which he considers that magic may not be evil. Off the top of my head there is the scene after Morgause reveals the true circumstance of his birth, the scene in which he allows Dragoon to attempt to heal Uther, and the scene where he asks Merlin if he should legalize magic in order to save Mordred. In all of these cases someone (usually Merlin) prevents him from exploring that thought deeper. Even so, he does make great strides towards taking up the proper nuanced view needed for this situation. He takes Camelot from a kingdom that relentlessly hunts down and persecutes magic, to a kingdom of fair trials and peace with druids.

Sadly, no one can meet him in the middle. Morgause and Morgana’s insistence on trying to take him down and harm the people closest to him prevents Arthur from learning the good aspects of magic just as much as Uther’s propaganda did. Merlin is the only sorcerer in the entire show not to be set against Arthur, and therefore the only one who could show Arthur how to break this cycle, but doing so presents no small risk to his own and Arthur’s safety. If Arthur took it badly and either banished or executed him, it would effectively prevent Merlin from protecting him. This leaves Arthur trying to draw his own conclusions, and he never gets the additional information that magic can, and is, used for beauty and healing. He can only operate on what he has seen, and what he has seen is magic being used against himself and Camelot repeatedly.

Arthur can’t be held responsible for not incorporating information he isn’t given into his view on magic, and Merlin can’t be held responsible for not risking himself to teach Arthur. We can, however, hold the people around them responsible for creating an environment that prevents Arthur from learning on his own, and prevents Merlin from teaching him. The fault lies primarily with Uther for kicking this whole chain of events off in the first place, and in Morgause who co-opted a genuine struggle in order to gain power. Morgana is also responsible for letting her view of Arthur (someone she has seen stand for justice) be corrupted. In the end the fault lies neither with Arthur, nor with Merlin. The fault lies in the very human tendency to view the world in black and white, and react with violence against those deemed dangerous (despite how much that title is or is not earned).

#bbc merlin #christ this turned into an essay #merlin bbc #merlin

[gwenhwyvach]

thoughts on the green knight (2021)

i have a lot of Thoughts that i was originally going to post to my main but this is what the sideblog is for. tl;dr under the cut

tl:dr: i think overall the themes were well-represented, but i couldn't figure out WHY they changed the things they changed - some examples i was looking for were things like making it more accessible to a modern audience, or fitting into the allotted time, but those weren't really there. it was largely incomprehensible to anyone who doesn't have intimate knowledge of the poem; i think that inaccessibility like that is a MAJOR flaw in a movie (again at the bottom) things i am docking points for, in chronological order:

christmas day: this isn't like important to the plot but it's super annoying to me personally when people think the date for the beheading is christmas day when it's actually new year's day. we've all heard 12 days of christmas it's not that big of a stretch to figure out they're still celebrating it on new year's

morgan being gawain's mother: this is a big one! arthuriana has so few female characters, and erasing morgause removes a major one and messes up a lot of stuff by moving her to the beginning. more on this later.

sub-bullet of that actually: why is arthur so old when morgan is not. what is UP with that

other sub-bullet of morgan in the beginning: her giving gawain the belt and it getting taken by the kids who mugged him. i can see it representing loss of innocence and his mother not being able to protect him anymore, but then its role switches to being a lot more symbolic later (to match its role in the poem) in a way that is confusing for the audience. more on this later as well.

re: the kids mugging him in the forest: i GUESS this symbolizes loss of innocence? maybe? but it just makes gawain look like an idiot and lengthens this part of the movie so i'm docking points.

the fox: i literally do not get the point of this from a metaphorical standpoint. literally as his guide it made sense up until the end. trying to convince him NOT to go to the chapel seemed...counterpoint to its motives up until then?

the exchanging of winnings: this is a big one because it's so crucial to the poem and like. how do you mess it up this bad while still including it. first of all lady bertilak gave him the book before the exchange was even called so to the audience it looks ridiculous. and don't even get me started on the weird camera-esque portrait!

then like. she gives him the belt on the FIRST DAY. completely fucking up the timeline here. why would you do that.

and THEN she doesn't even kiss him! she fucks gawain completely without kissing him,, so when lord bertilak kisses him it makes literally no sense from an audience standpoint. if you're gonna make it an exchange of winnings it should be an even exchange so it. makes sense? (this is where 'it makes no sense! compels me though.' applies.)

the belt fucking scene: would've been fine except lady bertilak said 'you're no knight.' this (clearly modern) interpretation of the text wasn't there at all. in the poem, the problem wasn't gawain kissing her; it was him failing to give all the winnings to lord bertilak. /that/ is what made him fail. this is actually my biggest beef with the movie's adaptation for a modern audience.

the old woman in the bertilak's castle: SO stupid. just there to make gawain (and the audience) uncomfortable. since morgan has been removed piecemeal and dropped at camelot, this old woman is useless and confusing, especially without the juxtaposition between the poet's description of her and their description of lady bertilak.

the end of the beheading game: first of all, gawain getting there early is dumb and renders the knight's three swings narratively useless

the dream sequence: narratively does a decent amount to contextualize the meaning of the green belt, but ONLY if you know where it's going. if you know that the belt is supposed to symbolize gawain's failure to complete the quest and hold his oath, it makes sense! otherwise it just seems like a belt he had sex for one time and now refuses to take off. confusing.

also i hate it as a device. wasn't good when twilight did it, isn't good here. (i don't actually remember any other movies that did this off the top of my head)

the actual end: terrible! you cut out like, the most important part of the poem: when the green knight actually explains everything, including who he is, the fact that morgan's involved and her motivations, the point of the exchange of winnings. this is further confused by the movie green knight stroking gawain's face and calling him 'his brave knight.' if you don't know that that's the guy who kissed him ten minutes ago you're even more confused now

not to mention we don't see if the green knight actually decapitates him. like i get that you're going for ambiguity here but. why.

speaking of ambiguity, it's nearly impossible to decode what's going on if you don't know the poem really well. i touched on this in the other points but. i want to call it out explicitly

things that i liked but are not worth any points:

this being Gawain's Big Break: i actually thought this fit VERY well thematically, however there were too many scenes where he was like. Suddenly Famous and Well-Regarded. the worst was at the bertilaks' castle, because in the poem they're not supposed to know about the beheading game. also this takes away the Essential Medieval Romance Trope of the knight attempting to hide their identity

gawain being just a lil bit slutty: not executed well. see the belt thing above.

the giants. they were cool but served no purpose. also why were they all hairless with boobs what was that about

the fact that gawain and lord bertilak did in fact kiss: i so desperately want to give points for this but it felt again like our modern view of sexuality speaking over the text. gawain should have given kisses freely and as part of the exchange of winnings but it felt like he Couldn't do that as the hero which was disappointing. it felt like a Big Deal when it isn't presented as such in the text.

things i am bestowing points for:

the winifred scene: unhinged and unnecessary subplot of helping a random maiden in the woods COMPLETE with a barb about how you can't ask for anything in return? talented. brilliant. incredible. amazing. showstopping. spectacular. i have no complaints about this addition.

the pronunciation of gawain's name: in college i had a professor who told us she pronounced it ga-wen when it was without the e and guh-wayne when it had the e. so props for matching that i guess

gawain's yellow cloak. i want one.

the camera shots were beautiful

the dialogue felt SO good. when it started in verse i was super excited and. throughout it really wasn't distracting? very good

costumes were not accurate even with my limited knowledge but they slapped so i don't care

I ALMOST FORGOT THE ACTING which shows how good it was. very very

tl:dr: i think overall the themes were there and it was very pretty, but i couldn't figure out WHY they changed the things they changed. also, it was largely incomprehensible to anyone who doesn't have intimate knowledge of the poem; i think that inaccessibility is a MAJOR flaw in any movie

#arthuriana #the green knight (2021) #the green knight (2021) spoilers #the green knight spoilers #overall i think i would like it better the second time when i wasn't watching it to analyze everything that was different or odd

[carewyncromwell]

Character Ask: Hi Jacob! 👋 You mentioned something about liking the King Arthur myths and legends, right? Who are your favourite characters from there and why?

((Ooh, random additional question for Tory: What would Jacob think about Merlin? That BBC show? I got to watch it on Netflix this summer and I really love it! 🤩))

[Oh goodie! Jacob's eyes light up.]

Jacob: "Dude! Great choice of topic -- right on!

"Okay. So one of the things I find most fascinating about Arthurian legend is how there are so few constants, from telling to telling. I mean, sure, we all know about King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, Queen Guinevere and her tryst with Arthur's most trusted knight Lancelot, the sword Excalibur, the quest for the Holy Grail, the wizard Merlin, the evil sorceress Morgan Le Fay and her wicked son Mordred -- but here's the thing, so much of that? Contradictions all over the place. Like, okay, take Morgan Le Fay, otherwise known as Morgana. We all know her as Arthur's half-sister, but in the beginning, she honestly had no backstory, aside from just being an enchantress. And in just about all of the original drafts of the story, Morgana was not Mordred's mother -- her sister Morgause was. And Mordred was not Arthur's illegitimate son either -- that was added later, circa the 12th century, I guess to make the fall of Camelot some sort of karmic punishment for Arthur. Lancelot was made up whole-cloth by some random Frenchman who got into Geoffrey of Monmouth's draft of the story, only for him to get dragged through the mud later by other writers when they introduced Galahad. Oh yeah, and of course Galahad was introduced around when the Holy Grail got thrown into the mix out of nowhere, because clearly, we needed more Christianity in this story rife with Pagan spirits and people literally named 'the Faerie' in French. Then there's all of the nonsense about Merlin being a failed Anti-Christ -- gotta say, the Muggles got pretty damn creative trying to justify why it was totally okay for a wizard to be their king's mentor and right-hand man, while other Christians were going around preaching that witchcraft was the work of the Devil...

"But yeah, obviously a lot of the stuff Muggles have come up with doesn't match up with what we wizards know about Merlin, and honestly, even we have a lot of question marks about him. That's part of the reason I like Merlin so much -- I mean, sure, there are stories that paint him as a total creeper in how he expresses his feelings toward Nimue, and in those stories where she locked him in a tree, I can't say he didn't deserve it. But at the same time, looking at both the historical record and the original legends, we still have a wizard who chose to protect and mentor a Muggle in kingship, rather than steal power for himself, even if he totally could've. And that's kind of cool. I really like Sir Gawain too -- Gawain and the Green Knight is my favorite of the tales surrounding Arthur's knights. And for the record, I really like Morgana too! In one early telling of the story, she actually ends up reforming herself and uses her magical abilities to transport Arthur to Avalon, so that he can rest and heal there until that day that he can finally return to England. And even in those tellings where she's less sympathetic, I still kind of feel for her -- I mean, she was the elder half-sibling of Arthur, so in some ways, she was just as entitled to the throne of England as he was, even if I'm sure back then, no Muggle would've been all right with a queen, let alone a witch, ruling England...and well, that makes her an interesting antagonist. We know the historical Morgana was a Dark witch, of course, so that makes her a bit less sympathetic than some versions of the story paint her, but even then, she was still a Queen of the island of Avalon, in a time period when magic users rarely held royal authority. And that is remarkable, in its own way."

((OOC: I love Merlin (BBC)! Even if they did totally queerbait us on Merlin/Arthur -- goddamn it, BBC, those two are so obviously boyfriends, why can't you just let them kiss at the end?? I actually haven't watched all of it, but my Mum and I watched all of the first season together and I watched bits and pieces of the other seasons and the ending, and I think Jacob would enjoy the new slant on the story, especially in giving more sympathy and backstory to Morgana. Though yeah, he'd be shipping Merlin and Arthur just like Mum and I did and be kind of bummed out that the series never just explicitly paired them.))

Character Ask!

#character ask #ask jacob #jacob cromwell #opinion

[beyondmistland]

In the course of editing “Anathema (Part I)” I ended up writing an additional 4.5 pages so now the story is 37 pages and the anthology as a whole 164 pages sans artwork, title page, etc. Waiting on my editor and beta-reader to finish going through it one last time. After that, I’ll make a publisher’s account on Amazon, go through the tutorial, and upload the file, at which point y’all can finally buy it!

Next batch of short stories I’m working on are: 1) The Wolf in Red 2) The Dragonslayer’s Daughter 3) The Orcadian Queen (A retelling of Morgause and Mordred in the vein of Twisted, Wicked, etc.) 4) Anathema (Part II)* 5) Five Times a Hero*

*Set in the Mistland Metaverse

Having said all that, my output will definitely be much lower than before given the fact I’m taking the USLME Step 1 this coming spring.

Haven’t made progress with my ASOIAF fan projects either but God-willing that’ll change sooner rather than later.

Did a bit of work on The Gray Compendium though.

Thanks again to all my followers for the asks, likes, reblogs, comments, etc.

#books #short stories #ebooks #self publishing #writers on tumblr #original fiction #wiriting #creative writing #tales from mistland #mistland metaverse #my book #update #personal #me #arthuriana #arthurian mythology #arthurian legend #arthurian fantasy #dance rewrite #rewrite #fire and blood #volume 1 #house lannister #house hightower #house peake #the gray compendium #schedule

[tillman]

top ten worst arthurian takes GO

god how can you limit me to only ten. almost everything everyone says is just so dumb in some way and god the main thing? i wouldnt give a shit i really wouldnt if people didnt constantly act like theyre talking about the REAL legends <3 and then source toafk.

and like. okay! i dont expect people to have read everything. thats fucking impossible. who is going to have read 1000 years worth of literature. but to then either claim superiority cus u like one branch over another or cus you think youre too cool to just.. admit u dont know something? it makes me very angry and i am legally allowed to bully you.

anyways under a cut cus well .... anyways im going to be mean i dont give a shit. 

10) this is a catch all one but literally everything to do with lancelot. every single fucking thing. none of you people are normal.  the idea hes some sort of awful parent, the idea hes a “later addition” to the legends (just ... not true?????? the vulgate alone which solidified his existence is ..... 13th century..... thats.... so early in terms of arthuriana......), the general conception he fits into this “bimbo” type archetype (specifically that) in see him being characterized as a slutty and stupid vapid person whos only with guenevere to get closer to arthur, THE IDEA HES EVEN VAGUELY CLOSE TO ARTHUR? thats a huge plot point in a lot of the vulgate lancelot doesnt give a SHIT about arthur, th white, making him into the stereotypical full of himself man, bro its literally all fucking bad. whatever have your own takes on the character but hes . fucking hell just stop talking about lancelot if you cant be normal.

9) th white. i dont care anymore i dont think anyone should be looking at his work anymore it has nothing worthy of any attention. it truly has no value. 

8) jesus fuck uhm theres a lot i could say about how the general fandom and books themselves treat women but the treatment of morgause is just abhorrent. she isnt a fucking r*****. lot is literally worse than her in terms of parenting and being a human being yet shes the only one demonized ever. and like. okay! you can write her as an abusive mother and be uncomfortable with how she is written in the text but modern texts making HER the one to initiate the thing w arthur .... usually against his will for some reason. well. fuck you.  also not a huge thing but portraying guenevere as an abuser is rooted in so much misogyny. this is not the place to have a serious discussion about that but just be aware of how u are thinking about characters. 

7) everything to do with galahad and mordred LOL not even just galadred but bro they are substanceless characters theyre not that fucking deep. 

6) uhhh also everything to do with arthur/guenevere/lancelot <3 the power and age dynamic at play here literally physically makes me sick and also its glorified so heavily i just dont think you people should be allowed to touch these characters. it doesnt even have any hold in text you people just read th white and some other nonsense and were like wow <3 polycules solve all issues <3 and like they do but not this one LOL

5) stop combining elaine of astolat and elaine of corbenic this isnt a complaint this is a fucking PLEA I AM BEGGING you people. aslo please treat elaine of astolat right i love her so so much she means the world to me

4) i think you people are fucking weird around kay. ohhh booohooo the french were meaaan to himmmmmm. okay. stop pointing at the prehistories for reasons kay is actually sooo cool and soooo competent. ohhh hes soooo cool in the welsh texts. thats cool for the welsh texts and doesnt have anything to do with how hes characterized in literally everything else. he doesnt haev to be this competant killing machine to be a really cool character. also hes not. he. hes not thor? 

3) here this is a complaint for the original texts but villainizing gawain? cool thats hot. doing that by making him into a sexual abuser? i hate you. i hate you. prose tristan author and the post vulgate author who took it from them im going to litearlly fucking twist your head off your body.  oh here ill tie this back to the general fandom. gawain isnt some fucking “cinnamon roll” being “uwu slandered by the evil dutch texts fans...” gawains a shitty person and thats cool. hes mean and devious and smarmy and uses the image of the perfect knight to get thorugh loopholes. SGATGK isnt the only text in existance. its also not... an “early text” its pretty late. its. its the 14th century thats after lancelot was introduced to the . hes. its late okay.

2) if i have to see one more fucking take that isolde gave tristan the potion knowingly i literally might snap this is a threat. i cant fucking do it where are you people getting this from its jsut so fucking insane and so . wrong ? disgusting ? like i get it no ones read anything tristan and isolde related besides misreading le morte but jesus fucking CHRIST where are you even getting this one why do i have to KEEP seeing it.

1) STOP. making characters cishet.  stop it. stop. i fucking see you cishets. STOP thinking the arthurian stories are for you. they arent. shut the fuck up. 

anwyays thats all i. this was mean sorry im being mean right now but god <3 you people are fucking insane.

the thing i want to note is hey. its okay to not know things. arthuriana spans a thousand years of texts. if you only like the modern stuff cool good for you i hope you have fun. i do truly hope my friends and i are starting to create a space that people are comfortable admitting you dont know something or to ask questions or just simply not want to know. like thats cool and fine of you! do that! 

just stop fucking making weird arthurian takes and making me look at them. thank u. 

#arthurian legend #arthuriana #:-) <3

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

Merlin Season 2 episode 8:

What is the point of them wearing chainmail if it does fuck all and they always die anyway? It does nothing to protect them

Because I'm a cheeky little episode peeker, I know Morgouse doesn't die in this episode, and obviously neither does Arthur, so I'm confused..... okay. Intresting.

Morgana's dress is very pretty this episode

The lesbian vibes are real NOPE. NOPE. Okay, now I know why my friends reaction was "oooofff" when I texted her about that. Okay. Yeah no. Half sisters. Which doesn't quite make sense. I'm missing something, cause things aren't quite adding up.

I have a bad feeling about the bracelet. Wow, I'm like consistently wrong today, huh? Stopped the nightmares. Good, Morgana deserves a good nights rest

Merlin dropping Arthur into horse shit was fucking halarious

!!!!!!! "What if my fathers attitude towards magic is wrong?" "You really think that?" "Perhaps its not as simple as he'd have us believe. Morgause is a sorcerer. She has caused us no harm. Surely not everyone who practices magic can be evil" !!!!!!!!

The hope in Merlin's eyes!!

I am once again wondering how the hell Arthur is Uther's son

Oh shit. Is this real? Is this deception? This seems real. I mean, thats true. Thats... not entirely true, I may hate Uther, but he seemed to genuinely love his wife, I dont think he anticipated her life would be the one forfit.

You know, it really makes sense that Arthur was born of magic. Hes the other side of the coin to Merlin, who was born with magic. The legendary king and the most powerful sorcerer of all time. It makes sense.

Oh shit, Arthur is PISSED. Never seen him like this before. Holy fuck he actually went for it. Hes actually trying to kill Uther. Now, im conflicted but im also not. I want uther dead sooner rather than later, but I don't want Arthur to be the one to do it! It would destroy him. And as much as hate Uther, the one thing I can say about him is he genuinely loves his son. You can see the horror and fear in his eyes as he realizes just how close his swing got to hitting Arthur.

Points to Leon for being reasonable and listening to Merlin. Additional points for hearing sword fighting and not immediately going in to see what the fuck is going on because orders. Actually, I dont know if that should be points for or against. Funny points, definitely.

The acting in this show, jfc, are they TRYING to kill me?

Arthur has some good points, Uther.

You can see the fucking struggle in Merlins face. He is actively lying to Arthur, taking away his experience of meeting his mother by convincing him it was an enchantress' illusion to turn him against his father and its all a lie (when he knows its not). Merlin actively played on Uthers rhetoric, rhetoric and beliefs Merlin KNOWS Arthur doesn't entirely share, or doesn't want to share. Rhetoric that hates everything about who Merlin is. And still he lies, to prevent Arthur from murdering his father, the same man who has killed so many sorcerers and innocents and would see merlin dead in a heart beat if he knew of his magic. And the conflict and pain over this is on full fucking display, in his voice, in his eyes. But he can't let this happen, because he knows it would tear Arthur apart. Even if turning Arthur against sorcerers, against what he is, tears Merlin apart in the process. I mean, fucking hell, Merlin almost literally chokes over the lie

Notice that Uthers wording avoids the demand to swear he wasn't responsible for his wife's death: "I swear on my life, I loved your mother. There isnt a day passes that I dont wish that she was still alive. I could never have done anything to hurt her" Technically, all true. But just because he never knowingly willingly hurt her does not mean he's not responsible for her death, which he is. His wording avoids lying while also not answering the question while appearing to answer it.

I know the point of the pan over is to show Gaius and Merlin exchanging a look, but I can not get over how fucking puzzled Leon looks 😂

Welp. The talking down scene nearly got me, and the following scene between Merlin and Arthur definitely fucking did. Fuck. You can see Merlins heart breaking. All hope of acceptance from Arthur, from his friend he is destined to protect with his magic, gone. Because he lied and turned Arthur against it in order to keep him from killing Uther, a man who has killed so many people like merlin and would kill merlin instantly if he knew he was a sorcerer. He has a fucking tear in his eye, he looks ready to cry his eyes out, and im right there with him.

The barely disguised disgust from merlin over Uther calling him a "trusted ally in the fight against magic" and merlins nodding along to Uthers words about how people with magic would all want to use it to corrupt Arthur while Merlin has literally used it to save Arthur's life numerous times. Merlin needs all the hugs.

Yes Gaius, exactly. Hey, I was right!

End scenes with Merlin and Gaius laughing after a rough episode soothes my hurt heart.

#liv watches merlin #merlin #bbc merlin #merlin bbc #arthur pendragon #season 2 #bbc gaius #uther pendragon #bbc morgana #bbc uther #sir leon #bbc leon #long post because i had feelings

[coinofstone]

3x01 The Tears of Uther Pendragon pt 1

(Since there's commentary for this episode, I will not be combining 3x01 and 3x02 into a single post.)

The double fisted callback shots are interesting. First, Arthur & co walking into a deserted camp only to be ambushed, complete with whizzing crossbow bolts (have you learned NOTHING) which is essentially the same exact scene as in 2x11 The Witch's Quickening when they come upon Alvarr's camp. It's a neat nod to the audience, who already know that Morgana wasn't exactly captured, she was (from Morgause's perspective anyway) rescued after Merlin tried to kill her. So calling back to that ambush sequence is a nice way to signal to the audience that Morgana is once again knowingly and willfully colluding with Uther's enemies in a plot to destroy him, despite all the dialogue giving the impression that she needs rescuing. That Morgana had in fact aided in setting the trap for Arthur & co is both further pushed by and contrasted with the second callback, when she emerges from the woods looking like a hot mess. This references 2x04 Lancelot and Guinevere when Morgana had in fact been actually captured, but she managed to escape and find Arthur who'd been out looking for her. The difference of course being that Morgana is full of shit this time, but repeating that moment is a clever way of demonstrating Morgana's intent to trick everyone into believing she's the same damsel in distress she'd once been, while we, the audience, know she isn't.

Uther's unquestioning acceptance of Morgana's return is irksome. I know it's been over a year but has he just forgotten that she helped Alvarr escape? It was made perfectly clear that he knew and that they were at odds with one another, yet it's like none of that ever happened. He's just thrilled to have her back and has no memory of any of those events.

Drunk!emo!Uther is amusing as hell. Also a little odd that they're worried about explaining Uther's behavior at the well as tho they didn't have the perfectly viable excuse of him having been drunk off his ass and emotional about Morgana's return.

Morgana being a dick to Gwen even as she tries to convince everyone else that she's back to her old self is just as confounding as Uther's lack of suspicion.

I love Tom Ellis. Everyone loves him for Lucifer, and you can definitely see some early shades of Lucifer in Cenred, but he will forever be Gary to me. Idk why Lucifans aren't all over Miranda, I mean just look at what you're all missing:

What's not to love?

I can understand Morgana leaving the sentry alive by accident, but why in God's name would she leave her dagger after stabbing him?

You'd think the king would have better security while he's ill, and servants competent enough to notice motor oil dripping onto the floor under his bed.

I cannot adequately express how much I LOVE Morgana's calling out Merlin after he's followed her to her meeting with Morgause. "Did you really think I was that stupid, Merlin?" YES HE DID, BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE INEXPLICABLY SEEMS TO BE. Merlin is clumsy as fuck and yet somehow he's the stealthiest dude in Camelot. I looooove Morgana calling that shit out 😂

I know she's evil and stuff but Morgause is so cool.

Merlin rockin the wackest shibari of all time. It's a little hard to see but they've got it wrapping his legs as they're bent too. That can't have been very comfortable to film in.

Roasted scorpion, offical delicacy of Camelot.

I know it's stupid to question the summoning of a talking dragon via a magical language but honestly I can't help myself wondering whether Kilgharrah hears Merlin or if it's like, dragon-radio where wherever that language is spoken by a Dragonlord, every dragon can hear it? Cuz either way I still have questions.

Commentary by Bradley and Katie.

They've made comments about the weather during the first scene and then promptly forgotten they're supposed to be doing commentary 😂 apparently it's they were brought in to do this very early in the morning during the last week of filming, which probably explains why they're so quiet.

Cracking jokes on shirtless Arthur, and how Gawain puts him to shame later on, then going on about how he's got the best hair in Camelot.

I love that Katie asks how Bradley did the blindfolded swordfight then doesn't let him answer😂 I would've liked to know how exactly they coordinated that

So for S3 they built additional corridor stages in Wales to reduce the amount of time they spend shooting in France. Katie's disappointed by that, but Bradley was happy it meant he got to go home to watch more of the world cup, except that England did horribly that year - Katie is surprised to learn the world cup happened that year 😂

I normally love Katie on these things but I think because Bradley's not entirely awake his storytelling is a bit slower or more drawn out, and Katie keeps cutting him off so he keeps like, dropping stories halfway told. This annoys me for two reasons: I'm a woman whose friend group is mostly men, who do this to me irl ALL THE TIME and it's INCREDIBLY annoying, so I'm over-relating to Bradley in this moment. And also, because I really would've liked to hear the rest of these stories! What did Tom Ellis do at the read through! Why does it make no sense that Sir Leon is alive? I counted bodies of least two knights that didn't get burned. HOW DID THEY DO THE BLINDFOLDED SWORD FIGHT. Let the man speak

Bradley makes fun of Colin for being overly excited by how great the music was during the episode screening they did.

They've talked more about Bradley having a stretch than they did about the entire episode.

He's got a really irritating laugh, not in general but like just this one particular sort of shrieking bark that irks me.

You can tell they were DONE with the commentary because they wrapped it up before the credits actually started 😂

#bbc merlin #bbc merlin spoilers #merlin #merlin spoilers #merthur #bbc merlin 3x01 #merlin 3x01 #3x01 #the tears of uther pendragon #the tears of uther pendragon pt 1 #onceandfuturerewatch

[swanqueeneverafter]

Sins of the Past Pt.10

Camelot. Past. Hall of Ceremonies. (A great feast is being held in the name of unity and forgiveness. Uther stands to give a speech.) Uther: “Standing here, seeing so many happy faces, seems almost like a dream. I can tell you, I have not felt like this in a long time.” Morgana: “What, drunk?” Uther: (Swats her playfully with his napkin:) “Drunk with happiness. I would give the entire world, the seas, the skies, the stars, for that smile. Morgana, there are no words. You mean more to me that you will ever know. (Raising his goblet:) To Lady Morgana.” All: “To Lady Morgana.” (Uther and Morgana embrace, Morgana’s forced smile faltering.) Uther: (Unbalanced momentarily:) “Oops. I need some air.” (Morgana watches him leave the room, a malevolent smirk upon her face.) Castle Courtyard. (Uther staggers outside on wobbly legs.) Uther: (Hearing something:) “Who’s that?” (Uther walks to the well and looks inside. Suddenly a vision of Ygraine, Uther’s long dead wife and Morgana’s mother, grabs his arm and screams.) Ygraine: “Please. Please!” Uther: “AHHHH!” (Uther continues screaming, curls up in the fetal position and rocks back and forth as guards run to check on him.)

Uther’s Chambers. (Arthur and two other guards set Uther down on the bed.) Morgana: “Careful. Is he going to be alright?” Guinevere: “He should sleep ’til morning.” (Guinevere motions for the others to leave. She watches Morgana dote over her father before she too leaves the room. Now alone with Uther, Morgana drops her father’s hand and smiles. The mandrake beneath Uther’s bed is having the desired effect.) Morgause’s Cave. Morgana: “Already the rumours are spreading.” Morgause: “The mandrake’s poison does its work well.” Morgana: “Soon all of Camelot will believe that their king is going mad.” Morgause: “And a kingdom without a king is ripe for the picking.” Morgana: “When do you go to Cenred?” Morgause: “Tomorrow.” Morgana: “And he will do as we wish?” Morgause: “Cenred wishes only to please me.” Morgana: "Then your time with him has been well spent.” (Morgause adds another mandrake to the cauldron much to Morgana’s delight.)

Storybrooke. Present. Regina's Vault. (A large group has gathered inside the vault as Lancelot speaks.) Lancelot: "My men and I covered the entire forest, the tracks lead back to Dun Broch." David: "And? Did you find Mulan?" Lancelot: (Glancing at Guinevere before answering:) "Camelot has a treaty with Dun Broch, no soldier can cross into their lands without prior consent. It would be akin to starting a war." Xena: "You fool! Macintosh started the war the moment he poisoned Dun Broch's recognised leader. In the event of a coup d'état all treaties are invalidated. We have to get Mulan out of there!" Zelena: "Hey! Everyone calm down. Now thanks to Ruby, I have something of Mulan's bubbling in this cauldron that will allow me to make a potion which will show us Mulan's exact location. As soon as my sisters finish their potion to revive Merida, she'll be able to tell us where Mulan is being held. Now those of you who aren't doing anything useful, please give us some space to work." Antechamber. (Sitting with Belle and Snow, Ruby continues to worry about Mulan.) Belle: "Hey, listen. You and I both know just how tough Mulan is, right? I mean Merida can kick all those men’s arses and Mulan trained her so really, there's nothing to worry about?" Ruby: (Smiles, through her tears:) "Right." Snow White: "Ruby, you're my best friend. I know you and I can see how worried you are, but we will find her." Ruby: (Nods:) "You're right. It's just... I've never been so scared about anything before."

The Vault. (Regina is mixing ingredients with the crushed up Mortaeus flower.) Emma: "Will it work?" Regina: (Shrugs:) "One thing I know for sure is this poison was created using magic." Emma: "So that means Macintosh wasn't acting alone?" Regina: "Unless he has magic, he can't have been. (Adding the last ingredient, Regina motions for Emma to step back. The potion sizzles and foams for a moment. Ladling the potion into a small cup, Regina walks over to Merida:) Hold her nose." (Emma pinches Merida's nose while Regina pours the potion into her mouth.) Regina: "Swallow, Merida. Swallow it." Emma: "She’s stopped breathing. What’s happening? Regina?" Regina: (Putting her head on Merida's chest:) "Her heart has stopped." Ruby: (Entering:) "She's dead? She can't be! It’s my fault. If I’d have got here sooner. If I’d have ran faster...” (Ruby turns and cries in Snow’s arms.) Snow White: “No, no. This wasn’t your fault.” Merida: (Her voice croaky:) “Careful, Snow. You don’t want to make Mulan jealous.” (Everyone looks down at Merida who slowly opens her eyes.) Ruby: “Merida! You’re alive.” Merida: “No. I’m a ghost come back to haunt you. (Moves to sit up:) What happened? The last thing I remember is drinking from the goblet.” (Everyone gathered looks to each other before Ruby begins bringing Merida up to speed.) Camelot. Past. Council Chamber. (Uther and Morgana are seated side by side while Arthur gives his report.) Arthur: “We’ve had reports that mercenaries are streaming into Cenred’s kingdom.” Uther: “Do we know why?” Arthur: “There is rumour that Cenred is amassing an army. I think we should send a patrol out to assess the situation. (Uther stares past Arthur:) My Lord? (Arthur turns to see what the king is staring at. The court looks back at Uther. Uther sees a small drowned boy standing in the council room, dripping water all over the floor. Uther stands up and points at the boy.) Uther: “Leave me alone. Get out of here.” Arthur: “My Lord, will you…” Uther: “I said get out! Get out! I’ll have you hanged!” (Arthur and another knight restrain Uther and drag him from the room.) Uther: “You hanged! You…! You…!” (While the court members are aghast, Morgana lets a smile cross her face.) Storybrooke. Present. Regina's Vault. (Merida sits beside the cauldron.) Zelena: "Ready?" Merida: "Aye." (Zelena adds the final ingredient and the potion bubbles up. Images begin to form inside the billowing smoke.) Zelena: "Do you know where that is?" Merida: "I do. The Southern Moor. Macintosh, the bastard."

Guinevere: "Merida, my army is at your disposal. Do you give us permission to enter your lands?" Merida: "Ordinarily, your Majesty, if I allowed Camelot soldiers entry into Dun Broch I'd face a rebellion. But seeing as one of my own has already betrayed me, I say desperate times call for desperate measures." Cenred’s Castle. Past. Throne Room. (Morgause rides alone towards Cenred’s castle. Surrounded by Cenred’s men, she enters the throne room where the regent of the land is waiting for her.) Cenred: “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Morgause: “If you will not leave your castle, then I must come to you.” Cenred: “I see that you’ve lost none of your audacity.” Morgause: “I wish I could say the same. But I find the great King Cenred cowering in his chambers when he should’ve met me at the border. Perhaps he has lost his nerve. Perhaps he is a coward.” (One of Cenred’s men draws his sword. Morgause magically throws him backwards with a look. Cenred’s other men draw their swords. Cenred holds up a hand to stop them.) Cenred: “You are very beautiful when you’re angry.” Morgause: “Is that why you continue to defy me?” Cenred: “Well, you wouldn’t like it if I made it easy for you.” (Morgause laughs.) A Short Time Later. (Now alone, Cenred pours Morgause a drink and sits across from her.) Cenred: "I’m certain you’ve not come all this way just to drink, Morgause.” Morgause: “You know me well.” Cenred: “Extremely well. And yet, somehow, we’re still close.” Morgause: “I’ve come to talk to you about our old friend, Uther Pendragon.” Cenred: “Yes. I have heard the sad news. He’s finally lost his mind.” Morgause: “Camelot is weak, weaker than it’s been for years. the kingdom is vulnerable, just as I promised.” Cenred: “Yet it doesn’t change the fact the citadel is still impregnable.” Morgause: “So, even without his wits, Uther is too strong for you.” Cenred: “You’re a woman of great courage, Morgause, but I don’t think with my sword. An assault on Camelot cannot be undertaken lightly.” Morgause: “You forget. We have an ally in the court.” Cenred: “That is no guarantee. Traitors blow like the wind.” Morgause: “Not this one. She can be relied upon until the end. You can be certain of that.” Camelot. Night. (Morgana enters the King's chambers to check on a comatose Uther. Waving a hand in front of his face, Morgana smiles when his expression does not change. Holding up a fresh mandrake, Morgana wraps a string around the mandrake root and strangles it several times. Uther becomes more terrified with each scream the root makes.) Corridor. (When Morgana leaves her father's chambers and walks along the corridor, Guinevere steps out from the darkness and decides to follow.) Lower Town. (Guinevere ducks behind walls, carts and whatever else she can in an effort to continue following Morgana through the town and into the woods.) Woods. (Sensing that she will be discovered if she moves any closer, Guinevere watches from a safe distance as Morgana meets with Morgause.) Morgause: “Sorry you had to wait. There was much to discuss.” Morgana: “But your visit was successful?” Morgause: “Cenred’s army ride for Camelot on my command.” Morgana: “There is nothing you cannot do.” Morgause: “It is you that gives me strength, sister. How goes the battle for Uther’s mind?” Morgana: “When Cenred marches on Camelot, he will find a kingdom without a leader. Finally we are ready.” Morgause: “Not quite. I have had to agree to an additional guarantee to Cenred to quell his fears. Do you trust me, Morgana?” Morgana: “Completely.” (Although unable to hear their conversation from her position behind the trees, Guinevere does witness Morgause’s eyes glow and Morgana pass out in Morgause’s arms. Forcing herself not to move, Guinevere watches as Morgause lays Morgana on the ground and begins to draw a circle around Morgana with a stick.) Morgause: “Acene slæp swilce … Acene slæp swilce … Acene slæp swilce …” (Before Guinevere’s very eyes, Morgana begins to glow.)

Storybrooke. Present. The Vault. (Guinevere relays memories of her past to Lancelot.) Guinevere: "This is just like before you came to Camelot. Morgause used her magic on Morgana to turn her against Uther. Now I suspect the same has happened to Lord Macintosh." Lancelot: "You think Morgause is back?" Guinevere: "She has to be. She's gathering an army to take back what she believes has been stolen from her. Morgana." Lancelot: "We won't let that happen." Xena: "You've already let it happen. The time you've wasted trying to avoid a war may just have given Macintosh and this Morgause person the chance they need to strike first!" Lancelot: "If Macintosh and his men attempt to attack Camelot, my soldiers will crush them." Xena: "If you plan on winning a war from a defensive position you've already lost." Gabrielle: "Xena's right, we have to take the fight to them and rescue Mulan before it's too late." Lancelot: "I will not lead my men into a trap against an army that for all we know is imbued with Morgause's magic." Xena: "Then you're a coward. Ruby and Mulan were right to come and find us the last time you and your army failed to arrive for battle." (At this exchange of words, Xena and Lancelot attempt to lunge at each other. Both held back by Gabrielle and Guinevere respectively.) Emma: "Alright that's enough! We don't have time for any of this. Now here's what's going to happen. Zelena, you will take Merida, Ruby, Guinevere, Lancelot, Xena and Gabrielle out of here to Camelot.” Belle: “Hey, I want to go too. (As everyone looks to her:) What? I haven’t had a proper adventure in ages.” Emma: (Nods then continues to Zelena:) “You will collect the Camelot army and then you'll transport everyone to The Southern Moor and rescue Mulan." Merida: (Liking this idea:) "Arriving in a cloud of smoke with Camelot's army behind me will wipe that smirk off Macintosh's face." Zelena: (Excited:) "And it's about time I got to flex my magical muscles against a worthy adversary again." Emma: "Good, now that's all agreed, the one thing none of you are going to do is disturb my daughter. So, Zelena, when you're ready." (Zelena nods and with a wave of her hand, magics everyone out of the vault. Seeing no reason to stay, Snow takes her leave as well. Finally alone, Emma walks over to Regina who is watching over Maria.) Emma: "Is she...?" Regina: (Nods:) "A few moments ago." Emma: "You know it's pretty late, there's no point trying to move her tonight." Regina: "She always wakes up even when we use magic to move her anyway." Emma: "Yeah. So I'll just go get the room down the hall ready, okay?" Regina: "Okay, thanks. (Emma turns to leave:) Oh, Emma? The necklace really does suit you." (Emma rolls her eyes and smiles, watching her wife dote on their daughter before heading down the hallway to prepare their bedroom for the night.)

Kingdom of Valencia. (Returning home from the festival, King Richard and Queen Roberta attempt to enter the castle but are prevented by guards.) King Richard: (A little tipsy:) "Ho there, I am King of this castle and I demand entry." Queen Roberta: "Shh, they know who you are, Richard." Guard: "Well I don't." Queen Roberta: "Excuse me?" Guard: "I don't know who he is, never seen him before." King Richard: "What do you mean, you've never seen me before? I'm the bloody King!" Queen Roberta: (Eying the guard:) "Actually, Richard I think he's new. (Looking at the other guards:) I think they're all new." King Richard: "Oh great. Well who ordered a shift change on the one night of the week when we actually leave the castle. Of course they're not going to know who we are. (To the guards:) It's all right, lads, it's our fault. We'll just wait here until the guards who know our faces take over." Neo: (Stepping out from behind the guards:) "Actually, Sire, that won't be possible." Queen Roberta: "Neo, what's going on?" Neo: "Sir Gareth ordered all castle guards to be reassigned to the infantry and so..." Queen Roberta: "None of the guards will know who we are." King Richard: "Now hang on. I may not be the sharpest pencil in the box, but even I know that's a pretty stupid thing to do. What was Gareth thinking?" Neo: "I'm not sure, Sire, but these men are under orders not to let anyone into the castle until further notice." King Richard: (Taking a step forward:) "That's absurd! (The guards draw their swords and Richard and Roberta take two steps back:) There must be some mistake!" Queen Roberta: "Neo, be a dear and fetch Sir Gareth so we can sort all this out." Neo: "Regretfully, Milady, I am merely the messenger. (Backing away:) If you would like an appointment to see Sir Gareth, I'm sure the happy couple would be only too happy to receive your correspondence. Good night!" (Neo turns and re-enters the castle.) King Richard: "The happy couple?" Queen Roberta: (Knowingly:) "Catrina." Gareth’s Chambers. (Gareth and Catrina ready for bed.) Catrina: “It’s been such a beautiful day.” Gareth: “The first of many, I hope.” (He kisses her cheek.) Catrina: “Oh, Gareth, just think how fine it would be to have all of this at your command.” Gareth: “Trust me, I tried it once. It was more of a burden than anything.” Catrina: “Well, let me share your burden, My Lord. (Producing Richard’s crown from behind her back and presenting it to Gareth:) Together we could achieve so much.”  Gareth: (The enchanted medallion around his neck glows:) “You know there’s nothing I’d love more.” Catrina: “Oh, and My Lord…” Gareth: “Hmm?” Catrina: “Would it not be a good idea send a message to those who doubt us? To show all of Valencia the strength of our love, our commitment?” Gareth: “Yes. What did you have in mind?” Catrina: (Moving behind Gareth to massage his shoulders as Gareth contemplates the crown:) “Well, I was thinking of something traditional. (Moving around to face him, Catrina kisses a dumbstruck Gareth:) Something permanent.”

Storybrooke. Regina's Vault. (Having made sure Maria is tucked in and sleeping soundly, Regina retreats toward the rear of the vault. Pressing the secret stone in the wall, she pushes open the door and enters.) Antechamber Bedroom. (Upon entering the room, Regina's breath is stolen at the sight that greets her. Kneeling on the floor and draped over a high-backed armchair, Emma waits for her clad only in red bra and matching thong underwear.) Emma: (Glancing over her shoulder, pleased by her wife's reaction:) "Seeing as you were such a fan of the necklace, I wanted your opinion on this lingerie I bought recently. (Trying do keep a straight face as Regina strides towards her:) What do you think, does it suit me?" (Receiving a sharp slap to her backside in answer, Emma chuckles and allows herself to be drawn upwards onto her knees to accept a spectacular kiss from Regina.) Storybrooke. Back Alleyway. (Locking up for the night, a surly looking Maleficent exits through the back door. Walking only a few paces before hearing a noise, Maleficent stops and waits. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, she continues on. Just as she's about to turn the corner onto Main Street however, Maleficent is grabbed from behind by a dark bearded man. Whispering something in her ear, the man catches the tall blonde as she stumbles. Putting her arm around his neck, the man turns and walks with Maleficent in another direction, leading her into the darkness and out of sight.)

#sq #swan queen #swanqueen

[buticanstilldream]

Chapters: 11/11 Fandom: Merlin (TV), Kushiel's Legacy - Jacqueline Carey Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Merlin/OMC, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Freya/Merlin (Merlin), Freya/Original Female Character (Merlin), Freya/Kilgharrah (Merlin), Morgana/OMC, Guinevere/Lancelot du Lac Characters: Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, Gwaine, Kilgharrah, Freya, Will, Lancelot, Elyan, Morgana, Gaius, Alice, Uther, Cenred, Morgause, Agravaine, Tristan, Valiant, Nimueh, Aithusa, Mordred Additional Tags: alternate universe- fusion, Indentured Servitude, Prostitution, Language, Violence, Sex, BDSM themes, Hurt/Comfort, Rape/Non-con - Freeform, Torture, Slavery, major/minor character death, Espionage, Gore, War, Invasion, Treason, Angst, somewhat happy ending, Merlin Big Bang Challenge, Merlin Big Bang 2012 Summary:

Sold as a child by his parents in hard times, Merlin has known nothing but the walls of the Moonlight Court for the past five years. One fateful escape into the city and one sold bond-price later, he is thrust into the world of the five kingdoms. Now he must learn to navigate the political side of life, keep his magic under control and stop a plot that means to not only kill a king but to topple the five kingdoms themselves.

#merlin #merlin x arthur #merlin x gwaine (minor) #angst #Word count : 100 - 150k #plot heavy #world building

[themorningtide]

Wordtober, day 17&18,  Freeform.

author’s note: this is a longer piece that I have been working on and trying to finish for wordtober. Link to part 1 in the end.

xxxXXXxxx

For the first hour, there is no path. Trees line up as far as the eye can see, leaves and branches continuously barring their way entwined in a gigantic web. He would feel a little silly, walking seemingly nowhere while holding hands with the two women like he is still a child. He would. If the night wasn’t that deep. If the trees didn’t seem to move with each step they give, opening a path in front of them and then embracing the space they have just vacated once they pass through. Fear steadily raises inside of him, especially when, out of the corner of his eye, he spies a furtive smile on Morgause’s face that she quickly hides. The way Elaine struggles to remain tied to him even though her feet which to draw her elsewhere.

What the Fae have, they wish to keep. It is quite obvious that this earth, this land they cross, considers his sisters very much its property.

Arthur does not agree. The further they walk, the closer he draws them to himself, making sure he remembers the land where they live. The long muddy roads, the tall castles, stone and iron, everything which is stable. There is a tile at the edge of his childhood room which has never been replaced. He and Elaine broke it while playing, with the poker from the fireplace. He remembers being scared momentarily before Morgan had appeared from virtually nowhere, prodding the shattered material with a dirty nail. No one would notice it, don’t worry, she had said and there it was, a tile at the corner, broken in half and then half again that no servant had ever touched. He remembers its jangled edges, the little piece at the side which kept moving but never strayed, he remembers the color and Morgan laughing at their anxiousness before she fixed the situation. He remembers the exact pattern and shape. Every time he does so, the lights above his head shine more faintly and the world is now crossing into feels more real and less magical.

Arthur enters the clearing as himself, King Arthur, not a puppet of the fae and that, more than anything, gives him the confidence to barge his way through the small crowd of amused onlookers.

The clearing they arrive to is not especially large. Tall, yes, the moment they have entered it is as if the trees have grown, have invaded the skies and formed a dome, a Cathedral tall as he has ever seen. The half moon of flooring is paved with large stone slabs, polished up to a fine shine by a careful hand, chairs and tables are placed on its outside, heavy food and drink he has never tasted. Lights, little orbs of starlight hang in the middle of the air here and there like the most beautiful of rains.

And at the top, lays a single throne. Bronze has been melded and carved into tree roots, entwining over and over until there is a chair and there is a crowned woman upon it.

“We have visitors, my court.”

Arthur will be hard pressed to describe the Queen at a later date. If pressed, he will say she was short. Appeared to be – though at times she seemed taller than the trees above them. The same white hair and grey skin of her court, rail thin to the point where one would deem her sickly, her chin rests on an impossibly delicate hand, shimmering in the dark like made of starlight. With each movement, the surface of what he would call skin, ripples, it becomes solid before shifting once more into liquid. The creature – whoever it is – might guise herself into the form of a human, head, shoulders, arms, legs, a dark dress which is as fine as any he has seen in his court but it is not a human. That simile of a woman is a courtesy. One given by creatures which usually do not bother.

“Our cousins have returned! Welcome home!”

The creature stands from her bronze throne, opening her arms slowly in an expansive welcome. Each step she takes, Arthur wishes to draw back, draw them back behind him before reaching for a weapon he does not have. “You are to drink and feast with us this night? What a wonderful idea! What a wonderful night!”

He is nothing in this conversation. None spares him a glance. All their eyes are on Morgause and Elaine, both of which are now standing straight, waving with their free hand to one creature or another all the while fielding the attention of the queen.

“Let us dance, my court! Let us feast and dance until the sun decides to break our reverie!”

There are no instruments, no musicians or singers. But the music comes from somewhere (all around) and Arthur flinches with every note as if physically struck. Oh. Oh, no. It is real. It is the hand in his right one, Morgause’s, clenching so hard he feels his bones grinding against each other. He breathes deeper for a moment before that sister moves forward, shielding him from the Queen’s amusement.

“We are here for Morgan.”

The amusement of the court falters. The music stutters for a moment. Some exchange glances, some actually look worried. If Morgause pays them any mind, Arthur cannot read it in her countenance. Just in that hand, tightening, more and more because she is afraid, his wonderful strong sister. She is afraid.

The Queen sits once more, reclining forward while biting a nail delicately with razor sharp teeth. Her eyes are narrow, pupils dilated like a cat which has found its prey. “Morgan is mine, my dear,” she explains gently, as if her visitor is rather daft. “She wishes to be with her people. It is her birthright.” Like a wolf who will not share what belongs to it.

Her birthright is to be Princess. It is in His Court, His Castle, His Kingdom.

“Morgan is ours, Queen,” Elaine rebuts. “She should be with her family. We who are hers.”

“She has come to us.”

No, that is wrong. She was taken away. She was a child and they lied to her, he’s sure of it.

“You have stolen her from us when she was weaker! I know she is stronger! I know she can make a different choice if given the chance.”

Speak. Speak. Speak, damn you!

“She will return with us.”

Each word literally hurts as he speaks it. Acid drips down his throat, bile rises and threatens to be spat through his lips, burning every trace of flesh in between.

The Queen smiles at him (at him finally, at him solely, in a manner that makes him wish to throw up).

“Then find her then, human. Search for whomever you wish, for how long you wish. And when you fail, feel free to dance or die.”

The gentle lights that had, until that moment, done little more than hover over their heads, shine brighter, shine more strongly until he has to turn his eyes away. It is daylight in the clearing, shaking that odd world into awareness.

“Search, Boy,” the Queen says, waving at the gathered crowd. “You have little precious time, you humans.”

Arthur doesn’t acknowledge the challenge. Or the prank, he can see it from a mile away. No, he has precious little time and Morgan to find. Without waiting, he turns to the audience, releasing the hands in his with a sharp movement. They are strong. They are all strong. They can do this.

Where is she? Where?

(He was a boy when she was taken away, just a boy, a mess of reedy limbs and awkward movements, watching as his sister is taken away. She didn’t cry. He didn’t cry. Morgause and Elaine stood silent and quiet, their hands joined in the middle of them as the remaining kept on his shoulders and he can only remember those tears, not the features, not the traces).

The small crowd smiles at their discomfort, grey eyes and white hair. Short, tall, willowy, broad, plays on dark, grey, white skin. They are a crowd leached of color and given everything else. He sees fur, he sees long limbs of plant-like material, branches instead of arms, claws and teeth sharp as sin. Damn you, he curses inwardly, damn you all to all hells, damn you to the seven, damn you, damn you, damn you, may the gods take you.

“You are too kind, young King,” the Queen declares, tapping at the arm of her chair. Her amused smile makes his skin crawl and every time she moves, the little bells woven in her white hair tingle unpleasantly in the cold air. Every time, he shivers. “I think you will make a welcome addition to our court. And you, of course, our lovely cousins. We miss your father dearly.”

He wants to kill this being. He wants to wrap his hands around its pale neck and squeeze until its bones break under his strength.

“All who knew him do, Lady.”

He wants to run through the hall (run her through with a blade he does not carry) and make her confess. Where is his sister? Within whom of these faceless beings is she hiding?

Yet Elaine is there, steady, her voice wrapping around him and shackling him onto the ground. She searches still, her smile just barely there, like a disguise as strong as metal armor. How can she smile like that as the different beings dance around her, playing with her hair while hanging lights in the empty air? All the while, Morgause stands tall in the front of the Queen, look at me, he hears her breathe as she protects their search, always look at me, voice soft, smooth and cutting in gentle accusations.

“It is such a shame that care did not save him.”

“That does happen when wanders from home.”

There is a woman by the corner. She isn’t smiling or laughing like the others. She doesn’t show herself or gives into the game of fooling him. The woman stands alone. Silent. Her bloodless eyes move from one mortal to the other in absent curiosity but that is all she does. While the others dance and make a mockery of their despair, it is like watching the sole sane person in a ball of children.

That is why Arthur looks at her. It is why he comes closer.

“A family does not break due to distance,” Morgause continues behind him. “It does not break with dishonor. It breaks once you chose yourself over it and turn your back to which you promised to defend. And Father always did right by us.”

“Your Queen is more family than that woman who bore you, my dear.”

Her eyes are wide and thin; a clear blue that is a touch darker to be the morning sky, just a smidge away from river water. He sees the color underneath the white irises, coming and going as the waves of the sea. Taller than Elaine, he realizes, as he walks closer to her, almost as much as Morgause. There is a little brown spot marring her pale skin right underneath her right eye, isn’t there?

There are two beings in his way to her. Arthur doesn’t notice. He just pushes them aside. He pushes more, waves through the creatures like struggling through the morning tide.

Her hair is white as snow. That is not right. Her hair was black, pure deep black, curling around her ears and down her back. Her jaw is Morgause’s. Arthur doesn’t know how he missed it. He sees Elaine in the ridge of her nose and the wide of her mouth. There is something else, of course, someone else, a thousand someones he does not know hiding in her features and there is him, in the turn of her lips and the sharp finish of her eyes.

Arthur asks for no permission to grip her elbow and tug her close enough for their noses to touch. The eyes are large and round, exactly like his. Same shape, same color, same structure. She looks like Morgan was, disposed of her humanity and taken over by the fae.

But she is Morgan. She is; he is so very certain.

The King feels like crying.

“Sister!”

Her body is warm against his as he hugs her close, exhaling lowly into her white hair, closing his arms tight around her form. Oh, oh, this is relief. This is peace. True peace, not the imaginary he had felt at the entrance, not any moment passed in his father’s Castle. Her arms hang lost by her sides. He swears he can hear her gasp but it might be just his wishful thinking because, when he looks down, her tone-shifting eyes are bland and uninterested, her expression akin to a painting forever frozen in time.

“Have you found her?”

Morgan is ripped from his hold and transferred into Morgause’s and any complaint he might have is silenced because Morgause – his strong, amazing, capable sister - looks fragile. Broken. Disbelieving. Her hands – always strong, always assured and so very talented – shake on the other woman’s face, fingers trailing down the ageless skin again and again as if she wishes to memorize it with each passing.

“Oh, my Morgan.”

There are tears in her voice. Tears in her eyes. Tears sliding down her cheeks and ignored.

“Morgause, do not hog!”

The confusion is still on fae woman’s face as she finds herself hounded by three bodies. In the moment Morgause is near, the moment Elaine slips in, their embrace is a tiny group of four children, four lost souls tied together once more. They are whole! Four rivers connected, strong and fierce, they are fortresses, they are high and tall and powerful and no one can face them.

(More than that, they are iron and steel! There is little else Fae hate as much. Why do you think they steal just one? One child! One man! One woman!)

“We have missed you, little sister.” Their words bundle together, spoken by three voices and rhyming into this unending litany. I love you, I missed you, I needed you, I need, I want, you are here, alive, well, with us. It is a confession without end, woven by male and female voices that seems to encompass all the words which should have been spoken throughout the years.

With this moment alone, they have won.

Part 1.

#arthuriana #morgan le fay #elaine of garlot #anne morgause #arthur pendragon #of gorlois' inheritance #wordtober #wordtober day 17 #freeform #part 2 of 3