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Late 60s Early 70s medieval revival part 1

The Silt Verses were my biggest inspiration this Inktober, and I name it thus: Siltober

(the prompts are in the alt text if they're not in the image)

Observances

Merlin/Arthur | Mature | No Archive Warnings Apply | Word Count: 373

Historical AU | Festivals | Prophecies | Second Person POV (Merlin)

For the @merlinmicrofic prompts "feast" and "new year."

Will post to Ao3 once it's back up.

Arthur's halls are decorated for the birth of the sun, Saturnalia was a sennight ago, and you saw an ominous sign this morning in the movement of the birds.

small tw: for animal (bird) death

☾ ☾ ☾

Arthur’s hall is decorated with yew branches. Up and down the benches there is elaborate food upon decorated plates of a dull silver that he told you was called pewter. His hounds whine and beg for scraps from the revellers, having grown bored of the swan wing that had been tossed to them. Now it lay on the straw strewn floor, gnarled and upsetting. 

Your eyes are on him, but everyone’s eyes are on him, they always are. Warlord, lord, king. Tonight he wears an abolla that is a red as rich as blood (and you’ve seen plenty of blood, by now). His hair and eyes are pale against the colour but not diminished by them. 

But his eyes are on you. They shouldn't be on you, not as much as they are, they need not ever be on you, but they are. You’re a servant, what’s more you are of the Silures, reviled by his father, yet his eyes have been on you since you were crowned with oak leaves for saving his life.

What a strange mix of observances that he claims as his own. 

On Saturnalia he said that you could do anything, so you sat in his lap and had him feed you figs and almonds with his fingers.

But that was a sennight ago, now above his chair there is a bower of willow and ivy, now he raises his cup and you go to his side to pour him grape wine from across the sea. 

He would put you to death for your aurgury this morning. It was the flight of the hedge sparrows that alerted you just a breath before it happened; a peregrine claimed an ouzel, too slow to retreat to the coppice, right before your eyes. There are signs in everything, you are finding, even the strange prognostications of the Romans. Ouzel cock, black druid, guide to the otherworld. Your people go unmarked in death as they do in life. There are few left, even, to cry your name. Fewer still will survive to see the spring.  

The fire is making you sweat, causing the woad staining your arms to run. 

His cup goes up, the room stills.

“The sun is reborn,” Arthur says. 

Queen: kill him!

The nobles and the king: but my queen, he’s too hot to die!

Merlin Horror Month 2024!

Welcome, Tavern-goers, to our fourth quest: Merlin Horror Month!

With spooky season coming up, how about making a little something to give us all a scare with our Merlin Horror Month?

Is someone being haunted? Are there monsters and ghouls in Camelot? Is there a serial killer on the loose? It’s time to be brave and show us some fanwork entries that will strike fear into the hearts of other fans!

So, what is Merlin Horror Month?

For this quest, we invite you to join us and post a spooky, scary or in some way horrific Merlin fanwork. Maybe there’s something strange in the neighbourhood. Or has a dead body been found? Perhaps the dead have come back to life (again)…  It’s up to you!

We are here for the whole of the spooky month, so give us your entries at any point from 1-31 October!

Here are the rules of the quest:

All works should have a spooky/scary theme

Any pairings and types of fanwork are welcome. The minimum requirements are:

Fanfic: at least 500 words.

Fanart: at least 1 completed work.

Podfic: at least 5-10 minutes long (and please get the fic creator’s permission!).

Fanvids: at least 2-3 minutes long.

For other fanwork formats, please contact us so we can decide on a suitable minimum amount.

Please note: No AI generated or assisted works are allowed for this fest

The fest is self-posting and runs from 1 October to 31 October. No fanworks for the fest will be accepted before or after those dates.

How do I participate?

Post your fanwork wherever you like. If you would like to post your creation to our AO3 Collection specifically for this fest (tavernfest_quest4). 

Follow the instructions and submit your work to us here: https://tavernfest.tumblr.com/submit

Please make sure to use the #merlinhorrormonth tag in addition to #tavernfest!

That’s it. We'll promote it here on Tumblr and in our dedicated Discord channel.Thank you! We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

More stunning art inspired by my microfic series this month 😍! Thank you again Sunfall!

Whenever arthur gets a new bethrothed

Merlin: Gaius she's evil

Gaius: you cant say that about every woman arthur tries to marry merlin, at this point you might as well marry him yourself if none of his suitors are to your standard

Merlin already making the plague rats sew together his wedding dress like cinderella: im prepared to make that sacrifice

Merlin Missing Scenes Weirdness

I re-watched the Labyrinth of Gedref episode with a friend last night and I'm obsessed with the weirdness potential of the missing scenes...

Arthur and the knights saw off the unicorn's horn while an upset Merlin looks on and idk, they leave the body behind in the woods? Seems like a waste but I guess taxidermy hadn't been invented yet.

Merlin actively ignores the rat problem.

Uther and Arthur leave Camelot to go stare at a barden field together.

Merlin spends time trying to find that really specific turn sand into water spell.

Gaius collects Merlin's bath water lol.

The rat goes to town on some tasty prince boot.

The single, anachronistic cherry tomato that Arthur leaves on his plate is eaten by the rat, probably.

Merlin straight up kills the rat, carries it around the castle, skins, cuts up and stews it for Arthur.

Gwen commits kitchen thievery under the dreaded Cook's nose. Maybe she finds Merlin there stewing the rat.

Merlin runs around the woods in circles or else he's kept out by some kind magical barrier while Arthur fights the fake thief.

Gaius catches two beetles for his and Merlin's dinner.

Uther congratulates himself that he's convinced his son to be a cartoon villain, just like his papa.

Merlin manages to impart to Arthur the conversation he had with Anhora out in the woods and it somehow goes well. Does he explain why tf he was out there alone? Gathering herbs might not be believable with all that's going on with the crops...

The vines in the labyrinth deposit Merlin onto the beach. Also Anhora ties him up.

Arthur wakes up on the beach. Just when he thinks he might have reached the afterlife Merlin appears and kisses him chews him out for being a stupid, self-sacrificing clotpole.

Merlin and Arthur learn to get along again on their long horse ride back.

The crops randomly grow back in an afternoon and somehow, in a kingdom where magic is outlawed and generally regarded with fear and suspicion, this is treated as Totally Fine and Normal, Actually™