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pigfacedbitch · 9 months

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It's A Trap!

summary : Prince Arthur uses reader to lure Merlin out whenever he is hiding from him.

word count : 0.5k

type : imagines

pairing/s involved : Merlin x Reader (?)

warning/s : none. just Merlin pining over reader and Arthur being an ass.

here is my masterlist!

Note : I thought of this when I watched the clip where Arthur is looking for Merlin and he was hiding behind the door. 😂 It was a one shot before and I heavily edited it too.

There is no denying that Prince's Arthur's manservant is in love with (Y/N), a noble lady from one of the most prestigious houses in Camelot.

Everyone, even Arthur himself, knows it. And that's saying something. ��😂

From the way Merlin would stare at you with heart in his eyes, how he would follow you everywhere like a dog, or his ears pick up whenever he hears your name.

Gaius almost wants to take a leaf out of Van Gogh's book and tear off his own ears because Merlin wouldn't shut up about you. He also writes about you in his letters for Hunith.

Now, does Arthur take advantage of it? Of course, he does. Like,"Do you know Lady (Y/N) would be there?" or "If you fetch flowers for Gwen, you could also get some for your lady love."

The epitome of the statement, however, is making you his trap. Confused? I'll explain further later.

"Merlin?! Where are you?!"

It's very common for the palace staff to hear the prince of Camelot blaringly calling out to his manservant. Although some people catch Merlin scurrying away from him or has an idea of his whereabouts, no one bothers to tell Arthur anything.

After all, it's completely understandable and why many servants can empathize. As admirable and honorable the prince is, he can be a handful at times.

That's where you come in.

Whenever Arthur has given up searching for Merlin, he would search for you instead.

He often finds you in the gardens with the other noble ladies, helping some servants with menial tasks, or having tea with Morgana and Gwen. Uther enjoys your company too, making the usual stoic ruler laugh and gossip.

"May I excuse Lady (Y/N)? I need her assistance with something."

"Is it Merlin again?"

"...Yes."

You would go to Gaius' chambers, the kitchens, servant's quarters, or anywhere Merlin could've gone to. Then, you would tell anyone that you're looking for him to speak about personal matters and you'll be waiting for him with a place of your choice.

Arthur would wait with you, but he's hiding where Merlin can't see him.

Why do you continue helping the royal prat? It's because you find it funny.

You're also curious, thinking how long will it take Merlin to stop seeking you out because most of the time it's just one of Arthur's traps.

The prince's knights bet on it. Gwaine and Leon are winning— saying how Merlin will never learn.

It's true, he doesn't. I guess love does make you an idiot.

Merlin always approaches you with a beaming grin on his face and blushed cheeks, acting like a lovesick school boy.

"My lady, you were looking for me?"

"Well you see..."

Arthur would wait for Merlin to get closer before grabbing the manservant in his clutches.

"Here you are, you idiot!"

Sometimes Merlin would free himself and run, sometimes he doesn't and Arthur would drag him away while warning him of possible punishments.

But he never misses the chance to look back and give you the most charming smile anyone has ever graced you with.

"Merlin really loves you, doesn't he?" You hear Gwen beside you, linking your arm with hers. Nervous and worried, you reply—

"Yes. I just hope that I get to tell Merlin that I share his affections. But Arthur is always with him."

#bbc merlin #bbc merlin x reader #bbc merlin imagine #merlin #emrys #merlin imagine #merlin x reader #arthur #arthur pendragon #fluff #arthur pendragon x reader #arthur pendragon imagine #arthur x reader #colin morgan #bradley james #bbc merlin preferences #bbc merlin headcanons

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hopelessromantic5 · 3 months

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Arthur Pendragon is a physical specimen. It’s how he understands the world, how he understands the people in it. By the way they shift their weight from one foot to the other, or the way they avoid eye contact.

It’s especially helpful in combat. Arthur needs less than one minute with an adversary to know which side they favor, which defense is their go-to and what strategy they have for attack.

Arthur knows this like he knows the back of his hand.

The first day Arthur met Merlin, he was almost excited.

A new subject to study. A new peasant to bother when he’s bored. Eventually, his father would trust him with real business and he would no longer have the opportunity to bother (cute) peasant boys.

So Arthur thought he would have his fun with Merlin.

Turns out he got a lot more than he bargained for.

A grief-maddened mother tried to murder Arthur in front of the entire court.

Imagine the shock that ran through his body when he turned to look his savior in the face, only to find the same peasant boy. With stormy blue eyes looking back in equal surprise.

Merlin is as much of an empath as one can get. He thinks sometimes, even without the magic, that he would still be unnaturally tuned in to other people’s emotions.

Merlin being magic itself only amplifies it tenfold.

He enters a room and immediately he can feel the sliding scale of energy throughout.

He knows when he’s entered at the wrong time, he knows (sometimes before entering) that the occupants are in a heated discourse.

And he can feel how his own presence will shift it ever so slightly.

Sometimes more than slightly, when it comes to Prince Arthur Pendragon.

Some days (against his will, of course) Merlin can admit that he’s more tuned in to Arthur’s emotions than just about anyone else. Maybe more than his own mother.

The explanation for this, of course, is that it’s Merlin’s job. In every sense of the word. He is Arthur’s servant but he is also the Once and Future King’s unseen guard. He is aware of moves being made against the Prince before anyone, and a lot of the time, he deals with them before a single person even gets a whiff of foul play. So, of course, Merlin knows Arthur better than anyone else.

(At least that’s what he tells himself when the unwanted thoughts start to pile up like dirty laundry)

Merlin has lived in Camelot, and subsequently been in Arthur’s employ, for nearly three years.

Merlin is also a fast learner.

While mastering his duties as apprentice to the court physician, learning the ins and outs of life in the castle, and learning to hone his magic in a way that’s productive, Merlin also studied Arthur.

If he’s being really honest, which he never is, he would say that acquiring knowledge and skill about everything else, happened accidentally, or out of necessity.

Merlin schooled and tested himself in Arthur because he wanted to.

It stopped being about destiny and the future of Camelot, years ago.

But Merlin will remain in denial as long as he wishes. Only letting thoughts like this creep in under the cloak of night, where no one can hear the singing of a little bird that Merlin quietly lets out of his ribcage. Allowing it to croon its heartache before returning it back to its place, locking it with the key.

#merthur #merlin #merlin and arthur #arthur pendragon #merthur fic #from the drafts #unfinished #as is everything #I should really start titling these but everything that comes to mind sounds dumb

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theroundbartable · 3 months

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What do you think are Merlin and Arthur’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic?

OOoh... interesting question.

Arthur Pendragon:

Arthur's positive traits, his strengths, are also his weaknesses. He questions everything. He tries to see the good in people and tries to do right by them. It is kind of why he's such a resetting character. Because every time he reaches out to something, like magic, he gets proven otherwise. Yet, he can't NOT question it. He's trusting and forgiving and yet, he's the character who has most often been deceived, lied to and actively betrayed. In a strange way, this behavior makes him extraordinary. He has trust issues, in the end, but he still offers his trust to his knights and especially to Merlin. In a way, he tends to overlook the bad things people did because he values their positive traits more (like with Agravaine).

And of course, he cares more about his kingdom than himself. His kingdom is even more important to him than his father or any of the people who's love he craves.

Other weaknesses of his are obviously that he can't do basic stuff like brush his hair or cook. And I'm pretty sure he's somehow cursed that all these magic events happen around him.

Another is his self worth. He sees worth in everyone else but never in himself. His life is important only to protect Camelot. His life belongs to his people and he really does believe that. It's not that he thinks he's worthless, it's that he misinterprets it and lives as a breathing sacrifice.

Merlin:

Merlin's strength is his confidence and his faith. From the moment we first see him, he's able to face one of the most powerful people in the world and not back down, even though he knows he has to hide his magic.

He is brave and selfless. In the sense that he doesn't care about his own feelings and life as much as about others, especially Arthur. And of course, he hates conflict.

Merlin is NOT trusting. Not the way Arthur is. Merlin trusts people he has seen do good in action. He does NOT trust people he doesn't know, and in some cases, even his friends. Best example for this part is Lancelot's shade, whom Merlin almost immediately suspected. I think, in a way, he seems more naive and trusting to us because for us this is fiction and just a show. But to Merlin, it is significant that some stuck up noble saves his life without question, or that someone is willing to keep his magic secret for Merlin's sake, or that the dragon helps him find his purpose and helps him to better Camelot. That is why Merlin's trust is RELIABLE, while Arthur's is not. And that is why Arthur trusts Merlin's instincts. I think Arthur knows that Merlin has a better hunch for people's true intentions than he does. It is just that after a while, he thinks he's learned from previous mistakes and he doesn't want to be so bad at it, when HE'S the one who should know, after being betrayed so many times, while Merlin is JUST a servant with no such history (that he knows of).

Their dynamic:

How could I start this part other than with 'they are two sides of the same coin'. And I think it's really fucked up because imagine a coin with a person on each side. They would NEVER be able to ever fully see each other.

Imagine that. I think, Arthur's side is the one with the number on it that tells him exactly what his worth is, where he's supposed to be, supposed to go, what he can be exchanged for.

On the other side is Merlin who is the side that talks about where he's from, what his traditions are, etc.

Merlin has to learn his self worth through the storyline, Arthur needs to learn the traditions and where he is from and what he is truly fighting for. That's kind of why I love the metaphor.

It also means that Arthur can never truly know who Merlin is unless Merlin tells him. Can't know magic, can't know his own background and the circumstances of his birth.

And Merlin can never truly see how important he is to the kingdom. He only knows he's tied to Arthur and that SOMEDAY it will be better. That he's already reached his destiny doesn't even occurr to him.

It makes me wonder what it means when Arthur dies, in relation to this metaphor. Is the side blank now? Has the coin simply been flipped and now Merlin is at the front? What does it mean???

Anyway. What else I love about their dynamic is how intimate it is. I'll say it as I always do, I think Gwen is the better queen and makes more sense to marry Arthur since they both see only the future of the kingdom. But that is the point. Their relationship is public and a symbol of peace. Merlin's and Arthur's shared destiny is always private, always hidden behind layers of lies. Even when they finally share their true feelings, it remains intimate and private. When they are together, they are focused on themselves and their soulbond.

Where Gwen and Arthur discuss the future of the kingdom and what to do with their people, Merlin is personal reassurance for Arthur.

Here are two example scenes that shall make this more clear.

In the episode where Arthur is meant to marry Elena, he asks Merlin what he thinks about the arranged marriage. And Merlin goes on a rant to tell Arthur that his feelings matter. That being emotionally available, by choosing himself and who he loves, he WILL be a better king. In Merlin's rant, Arthur's happiness comes fist. The kingdom, second. Even though they are clearly interconnected.

Arthur had a conversation with Gwen about the marriage beforehand and Gwen accepted his responsibility to marry for the better of the kingdom, putting CAMELOT first. While promising him that he can be happy with his wife too. Even if she's not what he wants at first, he can grow to love her.

Neither of those are bad things. As I said before, Arwen makes sense and MORE sense for the kingdom. But Arthur and Merlin are more private and intimate and basically soulmates. Romance aside, this is what I think makes their dynamic so fascinating to me. It is friendship, a deep emotional bond that often times goes beyond normal friendship. (Not necessarily romantic, but definitely deeper than best friends.)

There is more I love but I don't want to spam the tumblr. Lol. Thank you for the question, anon :)

#bbc merlin #merlin #merthur #merlin bbc #faq #ask #answer

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sherlockruiningmylife · 10 months

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My Merthur (Merlin) fics masterlist:

Decided to redo this list from scratch because I hadn’t updated the original in an age. Listed from my newest works to my oldest. All fics are linked to via the title. Should just be able to click to open them.

-Bleeding Gold (T | 3,865)

Merlin bleeds gold. Every time he is injured he has to hide it from any prying eyes.

Small excerpt: It's a simple cut that wouldn’t require more than a few stitches. If it were on one of the knights it would be no big deal. But on Merlin… The problem is, Merlin isn’t quite human in the way the others are. He’d been aware of this for a long time and it always irked him. But now it was especially apparent. As blood dripped from his arm in the shallow cut. It dripped gold.

-The servant god (G | 3,275)

When Merlin and Arthur get into an argument, Merlin reaches his wit's end. He blows up and confesses to Arthur before storming off. Now it is Arthur's turn to try and win him back

Based off of a post I had drafted on Tumblr but never actually published. Not used entirely verbatim in here but almost the same lines are there: Merlin gets frustrated one day and explodes into a rant about how Arthur treats him. Merlin: Do you even know who I am?! I am Emrys, Arthur! I am a God! Arthur: (scoffs and crosses arms) God of ineptitude maybe. Merlin: (glares then storms out leaving a trail of flames behind him)

-Becoming a god (G | 6,367)

The knights and Merlin stumble upon a shrine to Emrys in the woods. Merlin realizes, too late, that it may be more than just a simple shrine.

-How to pick a fight with your soulmate (G | 2,353)

Soulmate AU where your soulmate shares your pain every time you get hurt. This is how I imagine the market fight in the first episode would have gone had soulmates existed.

Small excerpt: “Do you want to give up?” Merlin yells. “To you?” Arthur asks as he backs away. Hoping sooner rather than later that this foolish man would hit himself with the mace he is swinging so wildly. “Do you? Do you want to give up?”

-Till death do us part (E | wip currently 50k+)

Stuck in an arranged marriage contract, struck before either were old enough to have a say, can Merlin and Arthur find any happiness in their inevitable partnership? With one being a sorcerer prince, and the other raised to despise sorcerers it seems doubtful.

This one is my baby, my love, my passion. But she is currently on a little hiatus. Will be back once I quit getting distracted.

-To know all of him (T | 4,307)

When Merlin and the knights get captured by a sorceress, Merlin is forced to take a truth serum. After revealing his secrets, will Merlin be able to regain the trust of the king and his knights?

Short excerpt: The sorceress growled, “Enough games, now answer! What is your biggest secret?” Merlin frowned, trying to fight off the serum, after several long moments of silence Merlin looses the battle and says quietly, “I have magic.” Anthea grins, “there now, was that so hard?” Lancelot winces but Arthur looks puzzled. Arthur, who had been observing the interaction with confusion finally chimes in with a cut off laugh.

-Hidden Talents (T | 19,755)

Modern with magic - Aithusa/dragonlord fic. Merlin and Arthur are roommates in uni. Arthur likes to complain about Merlin's appalling lack of a social life, using this as an excuse to take Merlin with him everywhere he goes. This is convenient for when Merlin is needed to protect Arthur from his own misfortune, but it does make it difficult to keep certain parts of himself hidden.

I definitely tend to write for myself and this is a prime example. I reread this one often, it makes me happy :)

-A Grain of Truth (M | 12,179)

Merlin and Arthur travel to an outlying village in Camelot seeking a stolen amulet. What they find is a thriving magical community with druids wandering the town's market freely. Unfortunately for Merlin, he is recognized as Emrys. How will Arthur respond when he finds out? Set somewhere in the midst of season 3.

-Camelot’s Protector (T | 5,632)

Camelot is forced to battle Essetir when Cenred's men invade. Merlin does his best to stay at Arthur's side when the battle begins, but Arthur is insistent that Merlin get to safety. Both refusing to cooperate, they get themselves into trouble and end up revealing more than they'd planned.

-The Role of Servants and Masters (G | 3,476)

Thomas is a new servant in Camelot's castle. Before today, he had only heard stories of the prince and his manservant. He had thought them to be the result of the castles working rumor mill, blowing them out of proportion. He will soon find out first hand just how true those stories were.

Small Excerpt: So far, Thomas knew that the Prince, Arthur, and his manservant, Merlin, were a bit of an oddity in the castle. Their relationship could not be described as that of a servant and his master. Instead, people described it as… well no one was quite sure. Prince Arthur gave Merlin orders, but those orders were either ignored or done begrudgingly. From what Thomas gathered, Merlin did follow the law, he just didn’t seem to adhere to the spirit of it.

Another one I reread often :)

-The Trouble with Soulmates (T | 17,774)

Arthur Pendragon is a famous actor, Merlin Emrys is a maths teacher. The chances of their paths crossing are slim to none. That is until Arthur sets them on a rather frustrating journey. Who knew that soulmates could be so troublesome.

-Not According to Plan (T | 2,294)

While out on patrol, Merlin, Arthur, and Elyan are ambushed by bandits. In order to fight them off, Merlin must use his magic. When one of the bandits cries 'Sorcerer', Merlin is faced with a tough decision. Caution is thrown to the wind, and Merlin is a badass.

-The Legend of Emrys (G | 4,801)

As the king of Camelot, Arthur is seeking to undo his father’s laws against magic and right his wrongs. As the final step in this process he seeks an alliance with the druids. They inform him that he already has their allegiance because Emrys is at his side. There is only one problem with that, Arthur doesn’t know who Emrys is.

-Once and Future Merthur (T | 11,832)

While escaping from bandits, Merlin and Arthur find themselves transported to a different version of their lives. Throughout their journey secrets are revealed and emotions are uncovered. Will they be able to handle the truth once it is unveiled?

This one is a bit out there admittedly, but I stand by it.

-The Unwanted Gift (G | 5,649)

Merlin is, by his nature, a kind and gentle hearted person. When a young sorceress sees this in the warlock, she seeks to help others to be able to see this in Merlin as well. She gifts him with an enchantment that bears Merlin’s soul to the world, which leads to some rather unintended consequences for the warlock. Inspired by this artwork from 2018 by tumblr user @cypress-ess: https://cypress-ess.tumblr.com/post/177981059209/snow-white-au

-Visiting Home (T | 3,016)

Arthur and Merlin travel to Ealdor to take part in a harvest celebration. Arthur has known about Merlin’s magic for a while, and Merlin has been named the Court Sorcerer. Wanting to get to know more about young Merlin, Arthur asks Hunith for some stories. OR – tooth rotting domestic fluff

This is 2 years worth of my writing/my life which is quite crazy for me to think about. Hope y’all like some of these, I love this fandom so much!

#this is so so soooo long #sorry #but also not really #because this is my love #gah #I'm going to have to go back and read all my old stuff now #My writing #merthur #merlin #bbc merlin #Arthur Pendragon #once and future otp #this show has my heart and soul #merthur fanfic #merlin fanfic #fanfiction #merthur fanfic recs #merlin fanfic recs

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pendragoon1112 · 2 years

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I need more fics about Arthur legalising magic but struggling.

I imagine it would be incredibly hard as majority of his kingdom currently fears and despises magic. And possibly those who don’t, like the Druids, are worried it might be a trap.

Then there’s the issue of riots and protests and murder attempts on the king by those who truly hate to consider bringing magic back to Camelot.

It’s absolutely exhausting. Piles and piles of paperwork, long nights researching magic, countless meetings with his council, (with majority of its members being in favour of uther’s ideals)

But all the while, Arthur pushes through all of this because he cannot let Merlin down. And Merlin is with him the entire time, always looking at him with such blinding pride in his eyes that Arthur thinks he really doesn’t mind how difficult this is.

Merlin saves him from more than one murder attempt. Perhaps his food has been poisoned and Merlin wastes no time in finding who dared touch Arthur’s food and making them pay.

Perhaps the two are simply walking through the courtyard and some anti-magic citizen sees the lack of guards around arthur and takes his chance. The man launches a knife, fast and precisely aimed at Arthur. Merlin easily moves arthur out of the way without magic. He’s been doing this since day one, not a big deal. But this time, merlin can’t hold back the complete and utter rage and most likely would have killed/tortured him had Arthur not held him back, reminding him that no one else can know about his magic yet.

Arthur is often at his desk, working away at repealing the ban, sometimes forgetting to take care of himself too. Despite what Arthur says, Merlin is actually a great servant when he wants to be. Merlin makes sure that Arthur is eating enough, frequently bringing his favourite foods to his desk even without being asked. He makes sure arthur is resting enough, forcefully peeling Arthur away from the paperwork and unceremoniously dumping him in his bed.

They do this together. Merlin is Arthur’s primary source of information on magic since any remaining books had been destroyed during uther’s reign. They consult the druids that Merlin is sure they can trust.

It’s an incredibly gradual thing. Over time magic eases it’s way back to Camelot, and those who once feared it, begin to accept or even love it.

And when Arthur is sure that his kingdom is ready, he announces Merlin as the court sorcerer. This is a surprise to Merlin, because he and Arthur definitely did not discuss this during their months and months of planning. He tries to not cry, but the happiness is overwhelming and he can’t help himself. Merlin doesn’t think he’s ever loved Arthur as much as he does during that moment. And when they’re finally back in the privacy of Arthur’s chambers, Merlin let’s him know just that.

#merthur #Merlin #Arthur pendragon #bbc Merlin #bbcm

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star-rie · 2 months

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when your servant is a little shite

-----------------------

Then Merlin looks at Gaius, who’s sitting there, eyeing him as if he knows what Merlin is going to do.

‘Merlin, no’

‘Merlin yes’

Merlin tests the limits of Arthur’s patience.

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alternatively, ao3 link

original prompt

PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5 (you're here), PART 6

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Merlin does not want to get sacked.

Sure, he always complains about chores like mucking out the stables and polishing Arthur’s armor, and spends the previous few weeks testing his theories out with varying outcomes, but it’s not like he actually wants to stop being Arthur’s manservant.

Obviously, it’s not like it’s the worst thing that could happen to him.

…

It is the worst thing that could happen to him.

Merlin could not imagine a life without Arthur. Though if there were ever a time where Arthur will indeed sack him, Merlin could watch Arthur from the shadows like he always does, but literally this time. But Merlin would rather stay as close as possible to his King. Thank you very much.

Besides, he can’t imagine Arthur actually sacking him; Arthur would never do that to him. Hopefully. Because what Merlin is about to do may actually make those fears come true.

Merlin observes Arthur like a hawk, and the girl sitting beside him is flirtatiously looking into Arthur’s eyes. Merlin felt his eye twitch.

It’s been the third day.

They’re welcoming a princess from Camelot’s alliances or something; Merlin forgot her name despite being mentioned often, and the kingdom she’s from. Maybe because he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

She’s so annoying, pestering Arthur every chance she gets. She’s not even that pretty anyway; the only saving grace are the jewelry she wears. And she didn’t even work for it!

The moment she arrived, she was immediately head over heels for Arthur. Tripping over herself so Arthur can catch her. Pouring water on Arthur’s clothes so she can touch him. Dragging Arthur to discreet places—oh, Merlin can go on and on. Every time it happens, Merlin wants to light her on fire.

Merlin is not jealous. He just doesn’t like people touching Arthur without his permission.

When Arthur was done delivering his speech, the princess squeals excitedly, and Merlin has to cover his ears. “That was such an amazing speech, Arthur! I’m so proud of you,” she lunges at Arthur’s arm, and Arthur (Merlin watches in disbelief) actually smiles at her.

“Thank you,” he grits, shifting to the edge of his seat. No way. Arthur is actually aroused by this tacky-looking noble!?

Merlin finds himself cringing at the discovery. Irritated when the princess smiles, squishing her face on Arthur’s arm. Merlin couldn’t find it in himself to tolerate her like he tolerated Princess Mithian and Princess Elena, her only personality is just liking Arthur!

When her hand goes to touch Arthur’s chest for the third time that evening, Merlin has had enough. Who cares if Merlin gets sacked? He would rather get exiled than let this cow marry his king.

So when the princess tries to get her grabby hands under Arthur’s shirt, Merlin immediately goes between them. Separating them from each other. The princess looks at him in annoyance.

“Merlin?” Arthur spluttered, probably annoyed that Merlin just ruined his chances at shagging her.

“What on earth are you doing, you servant?” The princess spat, batting his hands away from her.

“My lady,” he greets her, and then he turns to Arthur, “my king.” The court is starting to glance at them. Shite, he hadn’t planned this far.

He knows that what he’s about to do will very likely piss off the court. But it’s not like he can straight up tell the princess to ‘stop touching Arthur, you hag!’, and slaps her face, he’ll be pointed with swords in under a minute!

So Merlin looks at Arthur instead, and at the crown sitting on top of his head, that will do. Before both Arthur and the princess can start prattling about how he just ruined their intimate moment, Merlin takes Arthur’s crown and swaps it with the servant hat that he’s wearing right now.

And suddenly the room is silent, everyone looking at him. Arthur just looks at him, face neutral, waiting for an explanation. He really wishes he didn’t have to embarrass him again, but Merlin really can’t stand her, he had to do something, and he wanted to do this for a while.

“This crown is really heavy, my lord, how could you wear it for hours? No wonder you have neck problems; I thought you were joking.”

“Do you have something you want to say, Merlin?” Arthur asks him, waiting

“Hm, I don’t know my lord... Oh, wait, actually,” he said as he raised his servant hat before dropping it on Arthur’s head and fitting it on his head.

“Now we match,” Merlin says in satisfaction. He couldn’t help but smile at the flocks of really saturated feathers sitting on Arthur’s head.

He would be howling right now if the whole court isn’t watching him. This is it, Merlin thinks to himself. This is the reason Merlin got sacked, because he couldn’t stand seeing Arthur marry a spoiled princess, and probably canceling Camelot’s alliance in the process.

Arthur stares at Merlin for a while as the court watches with bated breath. Merlin thought he was going to be sent to the dungeons before Arthur started giggling, supporting himself on the table. Merlin asks Lancelot for silent help. He sits with the knights, sitting just a bit further from Arthur. Merlin is too scared to look at Gaius' face.

When Merlin and Lancelot had devised a team plan to help Merlin escape with head gestures and eye movements, Arthur grabbed Merlin’s hand to stop him from moving. Shite, he's so going to the dungeons now.

“You’re so stupid, Merlin,” Arthur giggles, adjusting his hat.

While Merlin devises a new plan with Lancelot to escape from Arthur’s death grip, Merlin fails to notice Arthur's movement when he takes off one of his rings. He realizes a little too late when Arthur is already taking his finger.

“Arthur, what are you doing?” Merlin asks this time, ironic how it’s Arthur who would usually say that.

“I like seeing you in my crown,” he starts, looking at Merlin with pride. Merlin’s heart almost leapt out of his chest “I want you to wear this,” Arthur explains. Then, Arthur proceeded to slot his ring onto his finger. stroking his hand.

Merlin is so flabbergasted he forgot how to speak. He must look so ridiculous right now, mouth opening and closing like a fish, crown slotted imperfectly on his head, standing like an idiot in front of the royal court, but most importantly, wearing Arthur’s ring.

Holy shite, Merlin thought, bells ringing in his ears. He is going to faint; this is too much even for him. He is actually going to faint.

“You’re mental!” The princess shouts at them, and they both turn to her, forgetting that she was there “You’re doing this for a servant!?” She screams, her hands clenching so tightly that it must hurt.

“He’s more to me than a servant,” Arthur says to her, before continuing to feast on his meal. The princess immediately rose from her chair, angrily striding towards her chambers. She left the next day with her knights in tow.

Merlin sighed in relief when he heard that the Kingdom hadn’t canceled their alliances. Unconsciously rubbing the ring on his finger.

#bbc merlin #merlin bbc #merlin #arthur pendragon #merlin emrys #arthur bbc #merthur #merlin x arthur #arthur x merlin #merlin fic #merlin fanfic #merthur fic #merthur fanfic

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inconsistentracoon · 3 months

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Chapter 8 of A Servant of No Master is up!

The race is on to get a mortally wounded Merlin back to Camelot before it's too late.

--- Excerpt --- This must be the final stages he thought to himself. He wasn't sure if his brain was doing him a kindness or just being cruel, showing him hallucinations of what he wanted more than anything right now. Of Arthur holding on to him like he didn't want to ever let him go.

Because it didn't make sense for this to be real. The Arthur he knew, who had held a sword to his chest, sent him away, looked at him with such a look of hurt and disgust... that Arthur wouldn't look at him like this now would he? He wouldn't speak to him like this. Like he still cared for him. Like he didn't think he was a monster.

But he was. And when Merlin asked him to stay with him he said

"I'm here Merlin, I've got you."

He was hugging him. Crying. That didn't make sense. Arthur never cried. It didn't make sense but Merlin hoped his fading mind would let him keep this moment. If he had to die at least he could imagine dying in a world where Arthur didn't hate him.

#merlin #merlin fanfic #merthur #but gen if you squint #I've decided that's a thing now #racoon writes #merlin whump

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ambriel-angstwitch · 5 months

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You’re losing me is Merthur coded

You say, "I don't understand, " and I say, "I know you don't"

Arthur responds to finding out about Merlin’s magic with confusion and disbelief

We thought a cure would come through in time, now, I fear it won't

Merlin thought he could save Arthur from his fate but now he realizes he can’t

Remember lookin' at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light Now, I just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time

Merlin and Arthur loved Camelot because of the life it held. Merlin loved it even more because of Arthur and the future it promised, but now Arthur’s gone and he didn’t get what he wanted.

Do I throw out everything we built or keep it?

When things get hard Merlin might wonder if all this was worth it

I'm getting tired even for a phoenix Always risin' from the ashes Mendin' all her gashes

Merlin is a a resilient person enemies keep beating him down but he just keeps going. He’d destroy himself and he’d destroy other people and things just to keep Arthur safe.

You might just have dealt the final blow

Merlin loves Arthur more than anything but he knows that Arthur might kill him if he learned about his magic and he knows he’d let him (at least if he knew Arthur would be ok afterwards)

Stop, you're losin' me… I can’t find a pulse My heart won't start anymore For you 'Cause you're losin' me

As Arthur put all of his focus on Gwen and then on the anger that came from losing her. He started to lose Merlin, Merlin would never leave but he didn’t have as much energy, his smile faded, he didn’t joke as much anymore.

Every mornin', I glared at you with storms in my eyes How can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'? I sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick. My face was gray, but you wouldn't admit that we were sick

Arthur said he loved Merlin but yet he chose Gwen that slowly drained Merlin. The one Merlin loved so deeply couldn’t give the same love back.

And the air is thick with loss and indecision

When Arthur finds out about Merlin’s magic their relationship will never be the same again. No matter if it turned out ok or horribly it still could never be the same. Arthur doesn’t know what to do with this information, he knows what someone having magic should mean but it’s Merlin.

I know my pain is such an imposition

Merlin is an imposition of the law just by being himself, but his pain is something of a burden because he wants something he can’t have not only is he a servant but he’s a man. Arthur and him could never be accepted.

Now, you're runnin' down the hallway And you know what they all say You don't know what you got until it's gone

Merlin couldn’t imagine how much it would hurt to see Arthur marry someone else until it happened and he didn’t even confront the possibility of losing him until it happened and he had to deal with the pain

How long could we be a sad song 'Til we were too far gone to bring back to life?

Arthur and Merlin were a tragic story and that started even before Arthur died but when he died that cemented the end. They could have been something greater if Arthur had known sooner but it’s too late now.

I gave you all my best me's, my endless empathy

Merlin gave Arthur his everything. He stayed even when Arthur lashed out at him. He wasn’t mad at Arthur for hating what made Merlin because he understood that was how he was made.

And all I did was bleed as I tried to be the bravest soldier

But in the end all Merlin got was pain.

Fighting in only your army

Merlin only ever used his magic for Arthur

Frontlines, don't you ignore me

He stood by Arthur’s side against all odds, the dragon, Morgana, the Vikings, you name it. No matter the odds he was there, that was something Arthur saw and respected.

I'm the best thing at this party

Ok a little break from the angst. Do you ever think of that scene during a feast where it’s Merthur having intense eye contact like they’re the only thing that matters? Because that’s the only Merthur connection I could think of here

And I wouldn't marry me either

Merlin realizes why Arthur chose Gwen.

A pathological people pleaser Who only wanted you to see her

Merlin despite being argumentative and sometimes annoying still just wants to make Arthur happy.

And I'm fadin', thinkin' "Do something, babe, say something” "Lose something, babe, risk something" "Choose something, babe, I got nothing To believe Unless you're choosin' me"

Back to how I started this Merlin doesn’t like that Arthur responded to learning his secret with silence. He wants an answer, he needs to know what Arthur thinks and feels. Nothing is worse than the outright hatred. The unknown is far worse than knowing it could have been better.

#Spotify #merthur analysis #merthur angst #bbc merlin #merthur #arthur pendragon #king arthur #bbc merthur #merlin x arthur #song analysis #you’re losing me #Taylor swift #midnights taylor swift #midnights ts #merlin bbc #merlin emrys #bbc arthur #arthur bbc

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typekiku · 4 months

Text

thoughts on TYPE MOON stuff

well these are my the type moon stuff i have read or watched or whatever so far. this is my opinion only so its inherently correct argue with the wall or touch grass as the youth say SO here it goes drum roll

FATE EXTRA

boring as shit. no joke im sorry its just booty cheeks but of the not sexy kind. its beyond mid its so mid i cant even act like i enjoyed it. it has an interesting concept and world sure but everything else is doo doo butter.

only good part is nero being hot asf and ig whatever servant there is because i only used nero (lmao i aint playing it all over again) she was funny at times

see shes hilarious at times... im sure CCC will change my mind... right? it has sakura what am i saying its PEAK

also fuck them for including arcueid in this crap

GARDEN OF SINNERS

i honestly dont have much to say about this one it never really clicked with me nor did i ever feel anything about it... BESIDES TOUKO

TOUKO IS SO HOT OMG

clears throat

that aside yea i genuinely dont have any opinion on this series of movies good or bad besides movies 3 and 5 which were my favorites

maybe i need to rewatch em one day and really try to get into it

FATE STRANGE FAKE

my favorite spin off in the whole fate franchise. it has some of my absolute favorite characters and GIL like what else would one even want in life amirite

some of my favorites are:

Richard: the absolute goat and one of my fav servants ever

Enkidu: i want a spinoff of gil and enkidu... is that so hard to ask??

Flat: my son

Jack: my uhhh child ig

alcides: the closest we will get to archer herc but just pure cool regardless

hansa: cyborg priest. nothing gets cooler then that

and many more im already too ti- FILIA - red to mention

i've only read up to volume 7 so i gotta get to reading the rest soon

its just pure chaos and is fun while doing so despite being slow as shit

FATE GRAND ORDER

ok this is the most complicated series here in a way since its so incredibly mixed.

there are some of the highest peaks in fate and then some of the lowest lows so lets see

Highest peaks:

babylonia

Camelot

lb5 (YES olympus and atlantis im tired of acting like olympus isnt peak NO heian kyo its mid)

LB6

the rest of the lostbelts are good but not that good

goetia is an incredible villain

lowest lows:

first five singularities

solomon im sorry the stuff with goetia was peak but the rest was average

gameplay

gacha

serious lack of male summer servants like cmon i wanna see them abs

overall fgo is alright but some parts of it is straight up incredible HOWEVER all of it is seriously held back by being a gacha mobile game and has to work around that limitation

also it has barghest whom i absolutely adore

also fuck fgo for forgetting medea...

WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT

now this is peak. the most gorgeous tm work by far i have to say its simply an incredible read all around. even tsukire did not look or work or sound as good as mahoyo did even tho it came out almost ten(?) years after

on the story front i loved it too with a special shoutout to soujuuro being one of my favorite characters in TM (i say this often not my fault type moon keeps releasing bangers)

however mahoyo has two issues for me:

the story is clearly incomplete: i dont mean its just nonsense or whatever but when nasu said its the first of a trilogy you can just feel that in the story with alot of things being left in the air. this wouldnt be an issue really if mahoyo 2 wasnt basically dead....

i didnt vibe with the slice of life scenes as much as i usually do in nasu works: this isnt a flaw in the story more so i just didnt like em idk how else to word that

mahoyo is a great read however and i highly highly recommend you read it or else

it also has touko enough said

TSUKIHIME (original version)

Greatest of all time. Zenith of the medium. Hallmark of media. Gold standard of storytelling. Apogee of creativity. Vertex of invention. Crest of ingenuity. Acme of imagination. Pinnacle of innovation. Epic of epics. Legend among legends. Peak fiction

ok fr tho its actually incredible and you should read it right the fuck now

all of the characters are simply chefs kiss. while the visual novel is incredibly dated and the art is even worse you have to understand this is nasu and takeuchis first ever visual novel made on a barely existing budget.

boy do they make up for that.

the vn is split into two with a near side and far side.

while the near side is really good with arcueid and ciels route (ignore how ciel was actually really fucked over even in her own route its laughable and my girl deserved better) the far side is so much more better and really is where the soul of tsukihime and shiki the main character lies

i cba to review it properly besides saying PLEASE READ IT RN or ill cry and you dont wanna see that do you....

heres my ranking of the routes btw best to worse:

hisui

kohaku

akiha

arcueid

ciel

shoutout to satsuki you finally are gonna get the route you deserved

KAGETSU TOHYA

um it has some cool lore and some really good short stories and... yea thats about it...

dont have much else to add...

play it with a guide because the structure of the game is abysmal

FATE STAY NIGHT

what is there to be said about such a masterpiece? what else could be written about fsn that hasnt been written before? i am but an ant in the shadow of the giant that is FSN only seeking some crumbs to feed and live off of. idk what that means but it sounds cool.

FSN is simply tms best work all around. while i prefer tsuki over it and find the tsuki side of TM more interesting FSN overall is much stronger on most fronts but especially its main characters

Shirou emiya is simply the goat nothing else to be said tbh

heres my ranking of the routes:

issei route

heavens feel

ubw

fate

FATE ROUTE MUST BE REANIMATED RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SABER DESERVES TO HAVE A PROPER ADAPTATION RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

we need more medea and kuzuki holy shit are they cute

FATE HOLLOW ATARAXIA

thank you type moon for making a good kagetsu tohya. its actually impressive just how much better this is then KT like seriously what the fuck did they take to drop this banger of a vn

KT had such shit comedy i didnt even giggle throughout it but THIS

THIS is a emotional rollercoaster of a whole different kind.

introducing the third (arc and medea are first and second) love of my life Bazett and angra we go through an incredible main story intermingled with hilarious and wholesome slice of life scenes that never overstay their welcome

this vn completely changed my opinion on some characters especially illya who went from someone i was kinda 50/50 on to adoring her overall

ALSO MEDEA SCENES YES I WON MOTHERFUCKERS I WO- huh? whats that? fgo basically replaced her with medea lily?

one hour of sobbing later

if you have read fsn and not FHA then i must ask you.. wtf is wrong with you psycho? you like missing out on good things? that wouldnt be me is all im saying

read it.

(in case you're wondering yes there is someone i deliberately didnt mention because my opinion on them is too complicated)

TSUKIHIME REMAKE

im not a fan of remaking classics on the level of tsuki. with all its flaws i still find the original to be good enough to not need a remake...

UNTIL I READ THE REMAKE

this is how you do it folks. the story was elevated on nearly every level and if it was the complete story id say its the best ever in existence ever forever fr. its just that good.

there are three things i really want to point out:

while maybe goin overboard i really liked the buffs all the characters received and in general the whole worldbuilding is so much better now with idea bloods and principles and vampire hierarchies and arcueid inflation scenes (heh) its just epic

ciel got a so much better route that actually feels like a ciel route and not just arcueid route 2 electric bugaloo (and getting fucking cucked)

noel is peak

this is peak type moon and when red garden comes out it will be even BETTER especially with satsuki route because satsuki deserves it

there are some other short stories i havent mentioned like garden of avalon, notes, MAGNITUNING (look it up you wont regret it) its all great and worth the time of reading

eventually i wanna play CCC and read some other stuff like maybe prillya DDD, fgo jp like lb7 traum and whatnot

i just wrote this for fun so dont really take anything i say seriously except for the teeny little part where im inherently correct.

uh if you are reading like or share or whatever tf it was idk

ciao

#fate stay night #type moon #kara no kyoukai #tsukihime #nerding out #arcueid brunestud #medea ily pls come back #fate extra #fate hollow ataraxia #fate grand order

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crisalidaseason · 1 year

Note

BBC Merlin: Drunk Arthur/sober Merlin and drunk Merlin/sober Arthur headcanons 🍻

PLS this is one of the best things someone asked me!

Drunk Arthur/ Sober Merlin

Before the drinking starts Merlin is already warning Arthur: "Don't drink too much, you're insufferable when drunk". Arthur, of course, denies being an embarrassing drunk and drinks too much anyways.

If Merlin is already overworked with sober Arthur can you imagine dealing with drunk Arthur? He is a whiny drunk for certain.

Merlin has to carry him to his chambers, but Arthur will make it difficult every step of the way! The stairs are Merlin's enemy, Arthur has quite a tendency of just throwing himself down the stairs.

Mutters something incomprehensible like "Le' go 'me, can wal' pffly fine". When Merlin actually lets him go, Arthur just falls on his butt and looks around confused.

Arthur doesn't sleep at all while drunk, which basically means Merlin will have to babysit him until morning. You can't trust Arthur Pendragon when he's drunk, he will wander around the castle and probably fall down the stairs again.

Will start babbling about how Merlin is a decent servant as if Merlin wasn't in the room. Will also talk about how much of a burden being a prince is.

Hungover Arthur is the worst. Merlin considers suffocating the future king of Camelot with a pillow on those moments.

Drunk Merlin/ Sober Arthur

Now that's uncommon. As much as Arthur likes to think Merlin is an alcoholic who constantly goes to the tavern, our magic boy only drinks casually. But one particular night he is too engaged in a celebration with the knights of the round table and ends up drinking too much.

First, he gets even more sassier when drunk. Don't try him, you'll get burned. He's throwing shade at everyone, specially Arthur.

Also, he will match energies with other annoying drunks and cause fights. That's when Lancelot and Gwaine are like "nop, time to sleep, friend"

Arthur will offer to take Merlin to his room because he is a protective himbo.

Merlin will demand to be carried like a princess (although Arthur just throws him over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes).

Merlin will also throw insults at everyone that crossed their path, poor Arthur has to smack his ass to shut him up.

Sleeps as soon as he hits the bed and will not wake up for a loooong time (Arthur will have to dress himself the next morning because that servant is not waking up).

Hungover Merlin is a bad mood Merlin. Arthur will make fun of his drunk shenanigans for weeks.

#Arthur Pendragon #bbc Merlin #Merlin headcannons #merlin fanfiction #merlin #merthur #arthur x merlin #bbc merlin

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shootwithintenttokill · 1 year

Text

One thing BBC's Merlin should have done (and not the one you're thinking of)

Because somehow I am making a Merlin post in 2023

I love magic reveal fics and Lancelot lives fics and so on as much as the next person, but there is one idea that the more I think about it, the more sense it makes to do to the extent when I first watched Merlin, I genuinely was surprised when this didn’t happen:

Gaius dies.

(Explanation after the break)

Not exactly sounding like a fix-it, I know. And, though it might sound like it, this is not post about hating Gaius, and I will explain my reasons. But I’ll start with a little explanation on how it might go down.

I think the main reason this never happened in the show was because Gaius was someone Merlin could talk to regularly and easily about his magic within Camelot. It allowed the audience to understand what he was doing, and why, for the more magical aspects of the show, without having to run out to the forest every five minutes for chats with the dragon. So it would probably have to be combined with either Lancelot lives or Gwaine finds out or something, so that Merlin still has someone to discuss magic with and cover for him. I would imagine it would happen in The Secret Sharer episode (season 4), probably Agravaine kills Gaius before Gwaine can stop him. This gives time for Merlin to process both his mentor’s death and what it means for his role in Camelot, before the season finale.

So, why?

It makes Merlin the authority, rather than the student. Merlin has been studying magic for 6 or 7 years, by season 4. By anyone’s standard, he would probably know what he is talking about by that point. And it’s been shown in several episodes that he doesn’t need Gaius - such as the Goblin in S3, or figuring out how to trick the troll in S2. It wouldn’t be uncharacteristic for him to be able to explain something magical to a knight, or even Arthur. And in a show called Merlin, where Merlin is coming into his power and knowledge, it almost seems illogical to have him going to Gaius for absolutely everything, but he does, when he has Gaius to rely on.

It gives Merlin a reason to be openly respected. Despite the ‘I’m happy to be your servant until the day I die’ thing, Merlin should have got more esteem in the last seasons. Gaius gets a seat on the (big) round table in S5, for his knowledge on magical creatures and threats. If he’s dead, is Arthur just going to give up that seat and not have any questions about magic? No, he’s going to give it to Gaius’ apprentice and the person who has been helping him with research for years. This gives a reason for Merlin to become a more official advisor, have his thoughts listened to without being in the privacy of Arthur’s chambers. Basically, Merlin could have become the advisor to Arthur that Gaius was to Uther if Gaius was dead, but while Gaius is alive neither Arthur nor Merlin would have a reason to make that happen.

Gaius holds Arthur and Merlin back. Gaius is the sorcerer who turned his back on sorcerers, who protected a murderous king while watching thousands of innocents be murdered in the hopes of saving a few. He is a product of Uther’s rule, and is scared enough by what he’s seen that he continually advises against telling Arthur not just about Merlin’s magic, but a huge number of other magical events, and quite simply doesn’t give Arthur a chance to choose to be better. And as for Merlin, he continually advises him caution and restraint, even when it goes wrong (like with Morgana). If you take a comparison between Lancelot and Gaius, where Lancelot continually encourages him, going so far as to suggest he tells Arthur, Gaius continually cautions him not to. Neither of them care any less about Merlin, or want to see magic free less, it’s simply their character. Gaius is scared, looking back at Uther and the deaths that were, and too afraid Arthur is like his father to tell him that magic can be good. But Lancelot is hopeful, and sees Arthur as the man who gave him a knighthood when his father wouldn’t and looks forward to the future that could be. With Gaius gone, and someone like Lancelot or Gwaine advising Merlin as a friend, rather than a father-figure, there is so much more potential for the ‘golden age’ to actually happen in the show.

It fits with the themes of S4. One of the big themes to me in S4 is that Camelot truly becomes a kingdom of the younger generation. Compare Uther’s council in S1-3, to the Round Table in S5. The average age is significantly younger - Arthur goes from being the outlier as the young Prince in a room of old lords, to Gaius looking out of place as an old man in a room of young knights and Gwen. And it’s not just Camelot’s council. The primary villains progressively get younger too - from Nimueh and Morgause, who remember and object to the purge, to Morgana, whose hatred is more focused on her growing up in fear. Gaius is the only person with any significant role in season 5 who is of the older generation, and he does just genuinely seem out of place - someone who is very much Uther’s advisor in a kingdom otherwise completely run by Arthur.

To me, this just makes so much sense. The simple reason is that Merlin genuinely couldn’t have grown to be the advisor he should have been in season 5, or created the golden age the show promised us, because he couldn’t stop relying on Gaius while he was alive, and Gaius couldn’t step away and let Merlin take charge, but was also too scared by the deaths he’d seen to give Arthur the chance, choice, and information he needed to build the world he should have.

In summary, Gaius should have died and it could have dramatically improved the final season of the show.

Also, if you know any good fics for this I’d love to know. Scorch marks and embers by southfarthing on AO3 works on this premise, except Morgana finds out who Emrys is and basically taunts him for 90,000 words, and I really recommend checking it out because it’s amazing.

#merlin bbc #merlin #arthur pendragon #Gaius #lancelot #lancelot merlin #fix it #what could have been #me being completely not blood-thirsty as I go on a rant about why a character should have died #bbc merlin #Don’t tell me it doesn’t make sense #Arthur becomes king #shouldn’t Merlin become chief magical advisor?#this got long #It was supposed to be a quick post #Merlin in 2023 anyone?#Merlin fix it #By making things worse #gaius merlin

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morfiveuscxo · 1 year

Text

MYSTERY, A.Pendragon

Arthur Pendragon x fem!!reader summary: A mysterious knight has arrived in Camelot, one that refuses to show their face. This knight defeats contender after contender until even Uther wants to know of their identity, but how will the kingdom react to their finest knights being defeated by a woman? tw!! swearing, violence, sexual innuendos, sexism. notes: before I begin- this is the first imagine I'm ever writing on Tumblr, I mostly post on Wattpad but decided that I'd write some small imagines here for characters that I am yet to write an entire book on or am not ever writing a full book on. I do the whole x reader thing sort of differently, I will only write from the female's perspective but even though the imagines say x reader I will make the reader's description how I see fit if that makes any sense? basically, the only x-reader part about it is that you can picture the other character's saying your name but the character won't be your description 😂 if it doesn't make any sense you'll see what I mean!!! :)) ps. apologies if Arthur doesn't seem in character enough :))

NO ONE KNEW WHERE THE MYSTERIOUS KNIGHT HAD APPEARED FROM. All that everyone knew was that there was a mysterious figure challenging all of the King's men. And every single knight had fallen to defeat under this mysterious figure's sword.

Yet another knight fell to his back, grunting in pain as the enigmatic pressed their foot harshly against the already defeated knight's chest. The man grits his teeth together in pain and lifted his eyes to look up at the covered head of his opponent.

The crowd let out a cheer, some even lept to their feet in entertainment. King Uther stared at this knight, clearly impressed as he clapped his hands together out of respect and congratulations for the mystery knight.

An hour later and Prince Arthur's servant, Merlin, ran through the halls in excitement, searching for his friend, y/n. Merlin had become a rather big fan of this obscure knight after he and his guardian, Gaius, had concluded that he wasn't using any type of sorcery to defeat his opponents.

"y/n!!"He called out as he pounded his fist against the wood of her front door. A distant 'hang on' is heard from behind the door before it's flung open to reveal one of Merlin's best friends.

y/n is a clumsy brunette with the darkest brown eyes that Merlin had ever laid eyes on. She was also one of the shyest people that he had met, she barely even spoke to him in the first few weeks of them first meeting. But after she broke out of her shell around him she never stopped speaking.

"Merlin!!"She exclaimed happily as he moved past her, entering her house with a big grin on his face. --"He did it again!!"Merlin exclaimed excitedly. y/n folded her arms in amusement, shutting her door as she spun to look at him.

"he?" she questioned and Merlin spun to face her with his hands in front of him. --"The mystery knight!!" he specified, --"you should have seen it, y/n!!"he ranted.

y/n smiled in amusement, tucking a shy strand of her brown hair behind her ear. Leaning shoulder first against a wall, she gladly listened to Merlin ramble on and on about this 'mysterious knight'.

Of course, y/n knew who this knight was. Herself. She found it rather exciting to finally use her skilful swordsman abilities and not worry about being ordered against it. For most of her life, whenever she tried to fight a man would tell her not to, because she was a woman with 'skin as thin as air and muscles the size of Uther's love for magic'.

She could never escape her shyness but when she was fighting, it was like the nerves disappeared completely and she was instead focused on her target and winning. And thus she decided to start fighting for real, never once showing her face when she challenged Arthur's knights.

"I still don't understand why you don't come down and watch him fight with me."Merlin's voice broke her from her thoughts. She simply smiled and shrugged her shoulders, chuckling awkwardly.

"Sword fights just aren't my thing, Mer."She lied, walking over to her kitchen to start preparing her dinner. --"I'm sure you wouldn't have even started going to them if you weren't Arthur's man-servant."She pointed out and he shook his head in denial.

"not true." he denied, --"Arthur was impressed with them."He spoke, capturing y/n's attention. She lifted her eyes forward but didn't turn her head, her stomach doing a flip as she smiled.

She and Arthur had a weird type of relationship. She wasn't sure whether to describe their dynamic as friends considering Arthur often differed between being hot and cold around her. Sometimes he would speak to her freely like they were on the same level, he would even have a laugh with her sometimes but then other times he would give her the cold shoulder.

Which hurt y/n. Like with Merlin, it had taken her a while to even speak words to him, longer than Merlin actually considering she felt intimidated under Arthur's royal authority. After a while, she finally felt comfortable enough to communicate with him, something that actually seemed to delight Arthur.

Perhaps it was because she addressed him like he was human and not like he was a walking title.

"Really?"She spoke, surprised. Arthur was never one to admit that he was impressed with anyone outside of his group of knights, especially to Merlin of all people.

"Uther too."Merlin continued, moving over to stand next to her in the kitchen part of her small house. She hummed in response, --"I bet the knight was pleased with such praise."She responded and Merlin shook his head with a pout.

"I wouldn't know. The knight always leaves the second he wins his challenge."He informs the brunette who had to fain surprise.

She opens her mouth to respond before there was a loud knock at her door and seconds later Gwen came bursting in, a nervous look on her face.

"Uther wants everyone gathered in the town square!"

----

y/n stood alongside Merlin, Gwen and Gaius as they looked up at a smiling Uther from his patio. y/n folded her clammy hands over her lap as Uther urged the crowd to quieten down.

Arthur stood a little bit behind his father, a stoic look on his face like usual. y/n caught his gaze only for a moment before glancing down at her feet.

"I wish to address the mystery knight who has defeated every Camelot knight thrown his way."Uther finally spoke after a few seconds of silence.

y/n lifted her head in surprise as the crowd remained silent. Not that Uther was expecting anyone to respond to him. He waited a couple of seconds before continuing.

"Very well. You wish to keep your identity a secret for the time being." he paused, surveying the crowd as he tried to guess who had been under the armour only mere hours ago.

"I wish to propose a challenge to you."Uther continued, y/n straightened her back unknowingly. --"Defeat a nobleman of my choosing and you will have a place amongst my knights." he paused for a second, --"no noble blood needed."

y/n was sceptical of that challenge reward. Uther had never abandoned the knight's code, never. Clearly, Merlin was sceptical too judging by the glance he gave to her.

"As for you're challenger, "Uther spoke again, demanding all of the whispered hushes in the crowd to cease. --"You will be duelling against my son..."

Her heart dropped to her stomach as Arthur took a step forward, Uther resting a hand on his son's back. --"Prince Arthur Pendragon." he announced as the crowd started to applaud this idea.

Merlin seemed to like this idea as he applauded along with the crowd. However, y/n looked as though she wanted to be sick. She didn't want to fight Arthur, but she was also never one to back down from a challenge.

"If you accept my challenge,"Uther spoke again and she lifted her gaze from Arthur to Uther. --"You'll duel tomorrow at noon."

y/n swallowed uneasily, gripping the fabric of her skirt anxiously. What was she going to do? she despised the idea of backing down from a challenge, especially one set by the king himself. But she would have to fight Arthur, one of the select few people in her life she actually cared for.

----

Later that night, y/n wiped down the dining table in the Camelot castle. y/n wasn't exactly a servant per se, she was a cleaner. Every night just before Uther retired to his chambers, she would clean down the thrones, dining room table, scrub and sweep the floor and replace the fresh bowl of fruit on the table.

She still hadn't decided if she was going to accept Uther's challenge. She wanted to prove to herself that she could go all the way but could she really willingly hurt Arthur? the same Arthur who complimented the flowerbeds outside of her house every time he passed.

"you missed a spot."

She paused her arm to glance over her shoulder, bowing her head a little when seeing Arthur leaning against the wall. Shaking her head with a smile, --"No I didn't, sire."She denied with a small laugh.

"Are you calling me a liar, y/n?"He demanded playfully, a grin on his face. She continued to clean as she shook her head, --"I would never, your highness."She responded, scoffing a laugh.

After wiping down the table, she glanced over at him. --"I assumed you would be training for your duel tomorrow morning."She spoke, he pursed his lips and shook his head.

"I've been training all night, thought I'd give myself a break."He responded, and she hummed with a nod. --"You're father must really believe in this mysterious knight to abandon the knight code."She said, picking up the bucket of water and moving over to the throne to wipe them down too.

Arthur only shook his head. --"I wish that was the case."He responded, and she glanced at him curiously. --"My father doesn't believe this knight can beat me, as far as he is concerned he isn't even breaking the knight code."He confided in y/n, a frown settled on his face.

"you disagree with him?"She pressed. Arthur merely scoffed, --"That the knight can't beat me? of course, I agree with that." he boasted arrogantly causing y/n to roll her eyes in amusement. --"But I don't agree with the knight code."He then continued, moving to lean against one of the thrones that y/n had just wiped down.

She raised her head and cleared her throat. He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment before she gestured to the throne he was leaning against. --"I just wiped that down, sire."She reminded him and he raised his eyebrows and moved away from the throne so he was standing next to her.

"You don't agree with the knight's code?"She asked curiously and he shook his head. --"I believe if you fight with dignity and honour, it shouldn't matter what bloodline you belong to."He responded. She paused her actions to show him a soft smile.

"you're a good man, Arthur Pendragon."She informed him with a nod as she finished up her cleaning duties. Arthur felt his heart swell at her words, an adoring smile appearing on his features as he watched her drop her sponge into the bucket of soapy water.

"Perhaps you could throw that at Merlin, he was supposed to have had my bed made an hour ago," he commented and she let out a laugh, pressing a hand to her mouth in an instant, her face heating up.

"You love him, really."She simply told him with a laugh as she moved past him. Arthur made a face at her comment but didn't deny his platonic affection for his manservant.

"Will you be at the duel tomorrow?"He asked her, walking alongside her. She swallowed and shook her head, --"Don't think I could bear to see you lose, sire."She responded playfully and he shook his head with a smile on his face.

"I'm not going to lose."He informed her confidently, missing the sly smile on her face. As they passed the stairs, he pressed a hand to the wall and smiled over at her.

"Goodnight, y/n."

She returned his smile, her cheeks rosy. --"Goodnight, my lord."She bid him goodnight and then disappeared down the corridor.

Arthur didn't move for a second before disappearing up to his chambers.

----

Arthur stood in the arena, decked out in his armour. The prince had been waiting for his opponent for around 10 minutes. Uther was noticeably becoming impatient but his ego was way more demanding than his patience.

Merlin's knee bounced up and down nervously, starting to think that the knight had gotten cold feet at the thought of duelling the king's son.

I mean, this could all just be one big ploy to capture the knight and throw them in a cell for embarrassing the entire Camelot knighthood. The knight would have every right to be suspicious.

But just as all seemed lost and Uther was going to call for the duel to be cancelled, heavy exaggerated footsteps were heard and out walked the Knight themself.

The crowd let out a cheer at the sight of the knight. Arthur straightened his posture as he eyed the masked mystery.

y/n had been tossing and turning all night on her decision but ultimately decided to fight. She was going to prove Uther Pendragon wrong.

She unsheathed her sword with Arthur, the crowd letting out another cheer as the pair slowly bowed to one another. And thus the duel began.

y/n hadn't been entirely sure how she would act in a fight with Arthur so she just pictured that she wasn't fighting Arthur at all and she was simply fighting another random knight.

She blocked a swing from Arthur with her shield, spinning around and swinging her sword in his direction. As their swords clashed against one another for a further 3 minutes, y/n felt her respect for Arthur grow more and more.

Their swords blocked against one another as they both fought for dominance, Arthur's helmeted head getting close to hers. In the end, Arthur got the better of her and he struck her back, twisting her sword around with his so they were face to face again, fighting to shove the other to the ground.

But as his blue eyes gazed through the eye slit of her helmet, his eyes locked with hers and he squinted in confusion, recognising her dark orbs instantly.

"y/n?"He mumbled loud enough for her to hear and only her.

Her heart dropped and her eyes widened in surprise. He recognised her? but she had been so careful. Swallowing thickly, she shoved him back and swung her sword at him, which he blocked, their swords once again stuck together.

Now that Arthur knew who was under that helmet and shiny armour, he wanted to finish the match as soon as possible. He used their swords being connected to his advantage and thrust his sword down causing her to fall to the ground.

He then took a page out of her book and pressed his boot against the chest of her armour and pointed the sword at her neck.

Arthur had won.

The crowd erupted into cheers but Arthur didn't lift his head. He was too busy staring down at the woman beneath the metal.

Her heart sank with the knowledge that she had lost the duel. All she ever wanted was to prove to everyone and herself that she was worthy to fight with the knights of Camelot but she had failed.

After a couple of seconds, Arthur pulled his sword away from her neck to hold his hand out for her. Exhaling sharply, she fought the urge to groan at the growing pain happening in her left ribcage.

She took ahold of his hand and he helped her to her feet, his blue eyes staring incredulously into hers, a worried look on his face that didn't go missed by Merlin.

----

That evening, y/n lay in her bed with a frown. She had failed. All she had to do was win one more duel and maybe just maybe she would have gotten the respect she so desperately wanted.

After their duel had come to an end, y/n had wasted no time on giving Arthur a brief congratulatory pat on the back before leaving the arena and disappearing through the alleys to retreat back to her house.

She was surprised that Merlin hadn't come bursting to her door yet to talk about how the 'mystery knight' had lost his duel with Arthur. She assumed that Arthur would have told him that it had been her underneath the armour.

Then there was a knock at her door. She groaned in discomfort and lifted herself from her bed to walk over to her door, expecting to swing it open and find a worried Merlin.

But instead, she found Arthur who wasted no time barging past her.

She cursed silently, --"please, come in."She muttered sarcastically to herself, making sure that Arthur hadn't heard the way she spoke to him.

Closing the door, she turned to him, surprised to see the concerned look on his face. --"Why would you do that?"He snapped at her, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Regarding?"She tried and he shook his head. --"Don't you realise that if I hadn't realised it was you under the armour I could have killed you?!"He snapped at her.

Her shoulders fell with disappointment. --"I just-"She paused and swallowed, --"I just wanted to feel proud of myself for once."She told him.

Arthur only sighed and took a few steps forward, resting his hands on her cheeks to make sure she hadn't sustained any injuries during their duel. --"you should feel proud of yourself, y/n."He told her truthfully.

"You won, remember?"She muttered as he continued to look her over. --"Did I hurt you?" he asked her, ignoring her previous comment. She goes to shake her head but doesn't get the chance as Arthur's hand brushes over her left ribcage.

She let out a grunt, gritting her teeth together as she shook her head. --"No."She denied, only earning a glare from Arthur. --"I'll get Gaius."He goes to pass her and leave, a look of panic passed her face as she grabbed ahold of his arm, shaking her head.

"No!"She exclaimed, Arthur, turned to her with a confused look on his face. --"Have you told Merlin it was me?"She asked and he shook his head.

"I didn't get the chance to, he was too busy moping because you lost."He snorted, she swallowed and nodded her head. --"Could this just be our secret?"She asked him.

"If you go to Gaius surely Uther will find out it was me under the metal and I really don't want that."She told him, her voice shaking a little.

Arthur hesitated for a moment. --"Do you think you're rib is cracked?" he asked her seriously and she shook her head. --"You pack a mean blow, Pendragon but don't get cocky."She simply told him, --"It's merely bruised."

After a moment, he nodded and she released her hold on his arm. --"Thank you."She murmured. --"you're good in a duel."He responded and she shook her head.

"you won, remember?"She repeated the same phrase from earlier and he shook his head. --"I wouldn't have ended it as quick as I had if I hadn't noticed it was you."He told her, his gaze piercing against hers.

She raised an eyebrow. --"Are you telling me you might not have won if you hadn't noticed, sire?"She asked playfully and he scoffed taking a step closer to her.

"You're good, y/l/n, but don't get cocky."He repeated her words from earlier, leaning closer so that he could whisper his words tauntingly.

She didn't respond, their eyes flickering between one another's lips. Arthur seemed to think over his options for a moment before leaning in and closing the gap between the pair, his lips capturing hers.

And thus began the first of many kisses that the pair would share.

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sylviawitch · 2 years

Text

Merlin Do This, Merlin Do That, Merlin Don’t Quit (fic)

(AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/42086475)

“And it’s all ‘Merlin, do this, Merlin do that, Merlin you haven’t cleaned my fifth favourite sword properly, and why haven’t you found time to tidy the mess I made while also writing my speeches for me, and how dare you talk to Gwaine, ever?’ and by the way I’m also actually spending all my life saving him from getting his prattish royal self killed by random people who hate his father or who he’s somehow managed to offend, and I can’t imagine how he manages to do that…” Merlin finally pauses for breath, and Gaius takes the chance to step in.

“And having ranted about Arthur for the last half an hour whilst your soup got cold, perhaps you might try a bit more eating and a little less complaining? It might make you feel better. You do seem rather obsessed with Arthur these days.”

“Oh, as to the soup,” says Merlin, absently waving his hand over his bowl and letting his magic heat it, oblivious of Gaius’s frowning disapproval. He takes two mouthfuls, and then begins again, “And then this morning, Arthur says to me…”

Gaius sighs.

“Why is it,” Arthur asks, conversationally, “that whenever I want Merlin, he is nowhere to be found, and whenever I don’t want him, he’s right there, staring at me like a gormless oaf? What is it, I ask myself, that I have done for this to be the case?”

“And good morning to you too, Arthur,” Morgana says, tilting her head and examining him as if he were a piece of dirt she had found upon her best dress.

“This morning, breakfast time,” Arthur continues, unusually unphased by his adopted sister’s disapproval, “was he anywhere to be found? No. No, he was not. I had to put up with George - George - bringing me breakfast. Whereas yesterday-“

“Most people,” Morgana cuts across him pointedly, “begin a conversation by greeting the person they are speaking to, and at least making some effort to allow them some part of speech. It is considered good manners, even if they do have a crush a mile wide on their manservant .”

“It’s considered good manners not to interrupt someone when they’re talking,” Arthur throws back. “And I certainly do not have a crush on that big eared twit! Anything but. Quite obviously, I would have thought. Now, about what I was saying. Do you know what that… that… clotpole did yesterday…?”

“Why weren’t you in my room when I got here?” Arthur demands. “We left the training ground at the same time.”

“Yes, and I had to put all your things away, and make sure your precious sword didn’t have a speck of dirt on it, and -“

“You could have done that later, you knew I wanted you here now.”

“Oh, what,” Merlin demands, “am I supposed to be psychic now?”

“No, just have some common sense.” Arthur gives a derisive laugh. “But I suppose that’s beyond you.”

“That’s it, I quit,” yells Merlin.

“No you don’t. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Oh, I’m being ridiculous now, am I?” Merlin says, hands on hips like an angry fishwife. “No common sense and now I’m ridiculous, you can’t possibly want me as your servant.”

“Well, I do,” Arthur says stubbornly.

“That’s bad luck, because you heard me. I resign. I’m done. I quit.”

“You can’t quit. I won’t allow it,” Arthur retorts angrily.

“You won’t… you won’t allow it?” Merlin’s voice is high with indignation.

Arthur’s eyes are hot and dark, more pupil than iris, his face set. “No. I am the Prince of Camelot and you are my manservant and *I* say if you stay or go.” He takes a step nearer to Merlin. “You are mine, aren’t you, Merlin?”

Merlin’s fury still burns bright in the colour in his high cheekbones, across the tips of the ears that Arthur won’t admit to adoring. His jaw is clenched tightly together, but he looks straight at Arthur as he grits out,

“Yes, damn you.”

“That’s damn you, Sire’,” Arthur corrects, a little obnoxiously.

“Oh, for…”

Neither of them know which leans forward first, though Arthur will always insist it was Merlin, and Merlin, Arthur. But they are kissing, suddenly, in the middle of the room, and the tension of the past month is forgotten in the clash of mouths and tongues and bodies, both fighting for dominance for a minute before Arthur takes control, walking Merlin backwards until he is pressed up against the wall, Arthur’s body pinning him against it as the kiss goes on and on.

“Mine, Merlin,” he murmurs, voice deep and dark.

Merlin both loves and hates that he’d get down on his knees for Arthur when he’s like this; he hopes the other man doesn’t know it but suspects he does.

“Yes, Sire.”

Arthur pulls back to look him in the face. “And no more talk of quitting.”

Merlin bites at his lip. “Was - this - just to make me stay?” He asks, hoping his voice doesn’t sound as small as he feels.

Arthur rolls his eyes. “Yes, Merlin, I always try and persuade my servants to stay by kissing them. What sort of man do you think I am?”

Merlin, unable to resist an opening like that, begins to answer, but Arthur realises the mistake he has made before Merlin has got more than a word out.

“Wait, don’t answer that,” he says hastily. “Anyway,” he adds snootily, “it was you who kissed me. Of course, I can’t blame you. I’m eminently kissable. But I can hardly be accused of forcing you to throw yourself at me.”

Merlin’s mouth drops open. “I did not, you complete and utter dollophead!” he says indignantly. “You were the one who -“

Arthur cuts him off. “It was clearly you, but since you’re not resigning after all, I have a number of tasks for you.”

Merlin sighs. “Go on then, tell me.”

Arthur grins. “Well, the first involves testing the pillows on my bed with me. I mean, you wouldn’t like me to be going to bed with substandard pillows, would you? So perhaps you would like to come and lie down next to me, and we could test how comfortable they are… together?”

Merlin’s mouth curls up into his brightest smile as Arthur takes his hand and leads him over to the bed. As they lay down on top of the covers, heads close enough on the pillows that Merlin need only turn his head a little way too catch Arthur’s lips with his own, he says,

“Well, I’m afraid, Sire… these pillows might need an awful lot of testing.”

Arthur’s answer is not in words.

#fanfic #bbc merlin #merthur #merlin #arthur x merlin #arthur pendragon

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archester-creations · 1 year

Text

always should be someone you love

Rated: G

Pairing: merwainethur (Merlin/Gwaine/Arthur)

Word Count: ~1k

A/N: love spell; court sorcerer Merlin; briefly mentioned Gwen/Lancelot/Morgana where Gwen is dating them both and Lancelot and Morgana are bi-wlw solidarity

"Sir Leon, we have a problem."

Leon briefly raised his eyes to the sky and prayed for strength. Maybe if he asked nicely Arthur would make someone else head knight. Maybe Lancelot. Lancelot was nice and loyal. Though he knew he wouldn't actually give up the job, but sometimes it was nice to imagine. "What is it, Mordred?"

"King Arthur seems to be under a love spell," Mordred said.

There was a long pause where Leon attempted to let the words sink in. Or maybe they sank in immediately and he just didn't want to believe them. "A what?"

"A love spell," Mordred repeated to his chagrin.

"And what makes you say that?" Leon asked. He already felt tired.

"The flowers he keeps giving to Sir Lancelot," Mordred said.

"Maybe he just wants to show Lancelot how much he appreciates him as a knight of Camelot," Leon said, hopeful if not for how false that sounded even to his own ears.

"He's also giving him love confessions, Sir Leon," Mordred said. Taking the thin thread of hope with it. Of course, why not.

"Thank you for letting me know, Mordred. I'll take care of it," Leon said. Mordred nodded and walked off to wherever he wanted to go while Leon prepared himself to go where he didn't want to go.

When he found Arthur, it was with his hand in an amused, and a little embarrassed looking, Lancelot's. Morgana was there as well. She looked very amused. If this wasn't another thing in a long list of things he felt he had to deal with too much of, Leon might find the horrendous platitudes falling from Arthur's lips amusing, too, but alas.

"Lancelot."

Lancelot looked over at him, eyes alight like he just saw his saviour from the executioner's block. "Leon!" Immediately Arthur quieted– a small blessing. The pout Arthur shot him at being interrupted was the same from when he fought with Merlin. "Thank gods you're here. Help me get him to Gaius?"

"I'll try." Leon nodded. He took Arthur's other arm and they pulled him along between them, Arthur quiet on the way and content to be led by Lancelot. All Leon really did was wave away curious servants and knights. That was fine, Lancelot had his hands full.

"So where is Merlin?" Leon asked, because this was something Merlin would usually help with. Which made Leon suddenly have to question how many love spells Arthur had fallen under over the years without his knowledge. Vivian's first visit to Camelot came to mind. He stopped questioning.

Lancelot shrugged. "I sent a servant for him when I sent Mordred for you, but I haven't seen him yet."

"I see," Leon said.

The one bright side was they got Arthur to Gaius’ chamber without much trouble. There were a few nosy servants, as well as a few genuinely concerned ones, so there would likely be rumours of an injury around the castle for a few days. But those were pretty common. Lancelot managed to guide Arthur to a chair and get him to sit down, staying beside him so Arthur would actually stay. The entire time, Gaius watched, an eyebrow raised.

“We need an antidote for a love spell,” Leon said. The way Gaius sighed and looked knowingly at Arthur did not make him feel much better. But at least it meant Gaius knew what to do.

“You’ll need to find whoever he truly loves. Only a kiss from them will bring him back,” Gaius said.

Lancelot nodded. “Do you know who that might be?”

Leon sighed. He remembered secretly catching Merlin, Gwaine, and Arthur together a month ago. At least they would both be brought to the roundtable so they wouldn’t have to find them.

“I don’t, sadly,” Gaius said. “I wish you luck.”

"Thank you, Gaius," Lancelot said. He turned to Arthur, whose eyes never left him. "Come on, let's go back to the other knights."

"Alright." Arthur smiled dopily up at him. It was a bit strange to see on Arthur; a lot more open than any similar looks Leon had seen. Maybe after they solved this, Arthur would show looks its like more readily. Since this would destroy any relationship secrecy those three had.

The headache was worse. In front of him, Arthur sat in a chair with Lancelot next to him. He was totally unaware of the chaos around him– a blissful unawareness Leon wished for– as his focus was only for Lancelot, eyes big and occasionally sighing wistfully. It was a good thing Morgana wasn't here because she would have a field day with her brother being head-over-heels for her girlfriend's boyfriend. On his left were the knights. As far as Leon could tell, they'd divided themselves into two camps with Lancelot doing his best to mediate impartially– perhaps he actually thought that Arthur liked them both?– from Arthur's side, the king's hand still in his. The two camps, of course, were whether Arthur loved Merlin or Gwaine. Mordred seemed to be a firm supporter of Merlin. On his right were Merlin and Gwaine, currently in a debate as to how 'kissed by who you truly loved' even worked when you romantically loved more than one person, given that it wasn't exactly clear. They were also arguing over who should kiss Arthur. If anyone asked Leon, though he was sure no one would, neither of these arguments seemed very serious.

"Arthur loved you first, Merls, you should kiss him!"

"You didn't know Arthur back then. I can assure you he liked you first, so you shoul-"

"CLEARLY Emrys is the better choice than some chronically drunken idiot!"

"He's more than just a chronically drunken idiot!"

Yeah. The headache was much worse. Leon pinched the bridge of his nose. He regretted ever getting out of bed this morning. In fact, after this was over, he would retire for the day.

“Why don’t you both just kiss him?” Leon said. It cut off Merlin and Gwaine’s argument, though not the knight’s argument which was still going strong. Leon was pretty sure if it continued, a minor civil war might break out. Percival was cracking his knuckles. Both Merlin and Gwaine turned to look at him, before they looked back at each other.

Gwaine shrugged, eyebrows raised.

“Well it can’t hurt,” Merlin said. Gwaine stood up and walked over to Lancelot with Merlin on his heels.

“Lancelot, my good man?” Gwaine gestured for him to leave, of which Lancelot looked grateful. It took a bit of prying to get Arthur’s hand off his wrist. The second he did, he was at the other side of the room. Arthur reached for him, but Merlin held him back.

"Wait, wait Lancelot my love, where are you going?" Arthur cried desperately, eyes heartbroken. This finally put an end to the knight’s argument. They slowly turned to Arthur. He’d begun to struggle, and Merlin’s eyes were golden as he kept him in place. “Merlin! Unhand me!”

“Ready, Gwaine?” Merlin asked.

“Always.” Gwaine smiled.

And they kissed him as one. Somehow they managed it without knocking their heads together. It made Leon think they must’ve had practice at it. And then he stopped thinking. There was a cheer from Elyan. Arthur blinked a couple times when they pulled back and his eyes lost the doe look Leon barely noticed before now. As a knight of Camelot, he felt a bit shameful that he'd missed the magicked look of the love spell, but it was a little overshadowed by how he clung to Lancelot so he decided it was fine. Besides, now he better knew what to look for for next time.

Next time.

Leon blinked.

"I'm going back to bed," Leon announced. Before anyone could argue with him, he turned on his heel and walked out the door.

#merwainethur #bbc merlin #merlin #gwaine #arthur pendragon #leon #leon the long suffering #love spells #humor #writings

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