Merthur - Blog Posts
Hello everyone! I'm back with another au! Enjoy! :)
This au picks up at the battle of Camlann, where Morgana uses a spell to deactivate Merlin's aging spell. All of Camelot's forces look on in horror as the old sorcerer on the ridge turns out to be Merlin. Merlin himself looks devastated by this.
Morgana then begins goading Merlin by loudly revealing all his secrets to Arthur, Gwen, and all the knights on the battlefield, intending to make sure that he could never return to Camelot. She reveals that he is Emrys, all-powerful, magic incarnate, the son of the Triple Goddess, and a god of the Old Religion in human form. He is the the most feared creature in all of Camelot, and they never even knew it.
Merlin, enraged by this, viciously fights Morgana with his magic. Mordred abandons his goal of battling Arthur to rush over to Morgana's side, trying to defend her from Emrys's wrath.
Merlin, still carving a path of destruction and death through the battlefield, doesn't hesitate to strike Mordred down with lightning. While Morgana was too busy being stunned and horrified by what just happened, Merlin takes Mordred's fallen dragon-forged blade and runs Morgana through with it, ending her for good.
The remaining soldiers in Morgana's Saxon army, now decimated and seeing that their leader is dead, killed by a force far more powerful than she herself, turn around and flee, desperate to avoid being slaughtered at the hands of a god.
With the Saxons gone, the battlefield of Camlann goes quiet, with the only sounds being the quiet whistling of the wind blowing through the valley. Camelot's knights are frozen in fear and shock, looking at Arthur for guidance for what to do next.
However, Arthur himself is frozen still too, unable to tear his eyes away from Merlin, the man who he trusted more than anyone, who was never even a man to begin with. His manservant, who was secretly a god the entire time!
But Merlin has his back turned to Arthur, and is simply gazing out into the distance. He turns around though, and he meets Arthur's eyes for a split second, before vanishing into thin air.
A second later, Arthur could swear that he heard Merlin's voice whisper along with the wind, "I'm sorry."
Staring out across the now empty battlefield, Arthur had no choice but to shakily order the knights to pack up and return to Camelot. There was nothing left for them here.
They returned to camp and started the journey back to Camelot in silence, everyone's minds reeling from what had just happened. The sudden revelation of Merlin's true nature had left Arthur, Gwen, and the knights terrified and unsure of everything.
Once back in the safety of Camelot, Arthur has a huge breakdown, wondering how the hell he's even alive if the man he's bossed around for the past ten years was actually capable of brutally destroying an entire army with a wave of his hand the entire time. How had he survived if he had been humiliating a god every day for years, a god whose followers had been slaughtered by his hand!
Their return to Camelot had been stressful to say the least, all of them on edge despite their victory. Yes, Merlin Emrys had ensured their victory, but who knew what plans the god had for Camelot now that his true nature was revealed?! What revenge would he enact on the kingdom responsible for the purge?!
These thoughts haunted Arthur even as he returned to his chambers, changed himself into his nightclothes (and ignoring the fact that the god of magic had been dressing him for the past decade), and fell into a fitful sleep.
Arthur was shocked and terrified when, in the morning, he was awoken with a very familiar "Rise and shine, dollophead! You have a full schedule today!"
His heart stuttered with terror as his eyes shot open and beheld the sight of Merlin, smiling and looking as he always did, as if nothing had changed. His heart pounded with sudden fear as he leapt out of bed, scrambling for something, anything to defend himself with against the man who had once been his closest friend. But, Arthur's mind hissed at him, what good would any sword do against a god?! He was as good as dead already!
Merlin Emrys, to Arthur's shock, didn't even bat an eye at Arthur pulling a blade on him and set the tray full of breakfast on the table, completely unphased.
"Come on, we don't have time for this, Arthur! Just sit down and eat your breakfast while I pick out your clothes for the day."
Arthur's however, didn't move from his place against the wall. Did he really think Arthur was stupid enough to fall for something like that?
Well, Arthur's mind hissed again, you were stupid enough to mistake a god for an manservant for ten years.
Emrys simply rolled his eyes, his impatience now showing, and Arthur braced himself to be hit with the full force of divine wrath.
Something in the air shifted, and Arthur suddenly found himself sitting at the table without having moved a muscle, with the breakfast tray in front of him.
"There we go! Now, please hurry up and eat. I didn't even steal one of your sausages this time! So, for today, do you want to wear your training gambeson or your more formal set?"
Arthur said nothing in response, too busy staring, petrified by fear and bewildered beyond words, at the god of magic lay out his clothes for the day.
The rest of the day goes on like this, with Merlin pretending like everything's normal while Arthur, and everyone else in the castle, is completely terrified by Merlin's presence alone. But, they can't really make him to leave.
Knights who draw their swords at the sight of Merlin find that their blades turn to dust as soon as he looks at them. The servants who see him, who have no doubt heard the disturbing news about his true nature as Emrys, scream in terror and run away at the sight of him.
Even Guinevere, who was sitting on her throne next to Arthur when she saw Merlin out of the corner of her eye, holding a pitcher of watered down wine like it was an ordinary day, tensed up with fright, her hands gripping the arms of her throne and her breathing picking up as her mind replayed memories of Merlin, her dearest friend, raining death down upon Camlann.
Eventually, Arthur gathers enough courage to ask Merlin why he's still here, what he wants from Camelot, and what it will take to have him spare Arthur's people.
And Merlin's response is to simply smile and tell Arthur that he will not leave. He is Arthur's servant, and there's nothing Arthur can do about that other than accept it.
TL;DR:
Arthur, fearing for his entire kingdom: Please, Emrys, just tell me what you want! I'm sorry about treating you like a servant! I'll do anything, just please spare my people!
Merlin, doing laundry and desperate to avoid his life changing in any way: I'm :) your :) servant :)
Merlin took one look at Arthur and knew. Merlin's ability to read people is unmatched lol!
đ
⢠merlin meeting arthur for the first time:
Series 1 Trailer for @larluce's awesome Time Travel AU!
Merlin's arms strain with the effort of hauling Arthur, barely-conscious, towards the misty shores of Avalon. It takes little more than his presence to call the Sidhe forth from their sanctuary in the lake, but Arthur groans with both pain and shock as their winged blue forms fly out of the water.
"You must save him! I am willing to give up my own life, but he must live!"
Arthur weakly struggled in Merlin's supportive arms, protesting Merlin's plan now that it had become clear that Merlin was set on self-sacrifice.
Hovering above the gleaming surface if the lake, one Sidhe gave Merlin a sharp, almost menacing, grin.
"While we cannot take your life to exchange for his, Emrys, there is another sacrifice you can make that would save your king."
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Arthur gently places a young tree that's barely tall enough to brush against his knees into a prepared spot in the center of the royal gardens.
There are no tears on his face, for he ran out of those long ago.
"I hope you like the view from here, Merlin. I think you'll be able to see out over all of Camelot in a couple years."
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The knights watched as Arthur viciously pulls out the axes that had been stuck in the tree's trunk and had carved a large gouge in its base. Arthur whirled around at them, and many, including his closest companions on the round table, flinched back at his near-feral expression.
Arthur's eyes locked into the spy responsible for this.
"Anyone who so much as touches this tree pays for their transgression with their head."
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"So you can perform the spell, then?"
"We can, your majesty, but only with the proper materials. A blade bearing the lifeblood of 300 men and 3 dragon scales are not easy to come by."
Arthur leans forward from where he's sitting on his throne, his eyes wild in a way that disturbingly reminds the druid delegation of the look in Uther Pendragon's eyes as he hunted down every living creature with a hint of magic.
"Do not concern yourselves with that. I will gather these materials for you. Just make sure that you can perform the ritual successfully when the time comes."
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Two pairs of eyes, the owners of which both believed themselves to be dead moments before, blink open to the same sunny morning. An unforgettable morning that they had both lived through before, many years prior.
This was, after all, the morning that their destiny was set into motion.
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I hope you enjoyed this! I tried to write some scenes that are implied in larluce's au, but are never directly shown, so that you aren't spoiled for many scenes in the au!
Check out the time travel au here! (You should definitely go read it right now because it's awesome!!)
I absolutely love this, and the fic is amazing! Everyone, go read this right now!!
Also, the fic had me thinking, what about the reverse situation? Where the tyrant Arthur who never met Merlin is transported into the canon timeline?
I would think one of two things might happen: 1. Canon Arthur knows, deep down, what he would have become without Merlin present in his life, so as soon as he learns that this Arthur never met Merlin, he's getting thrown in the dungeons before he can do any harm, or 2: Merlin meets dark Arthur and thinks that he's canon Arthur under an enchantment, so now he's having to suffer dark Arthur's abuse while trying desperately to find a cure (at least until he realizes that this is a different Arthur from his own entirely).
I love this entire idea so much!! Incredible work as always @theroundbartable! đ
Arthur wakes up in a Camelot where Merlin has never come to Camelot.
At first, Arthur is so distracted by Merlin's absence, that he doesn't realize how everyone is staring at him strangely.
Arthur: Is something the matter?
Knight: Are you - Excuse me, Sire - You are so calm today. Is everything alright?
Arthur: Calm? How on earth am I calm? Merlin is gone!"
Knight: Yes but ... Aside from this mysterious Merlin... You haven't chosen a servant today.
Arthur: If they aren't Merlin, then it doesn't matter.
Knight: *Wide eyes* You beat up this Merlin person?
Arthur: If I WHAT?!
*Holds up megaphone* YESSSSSSS!!!!! I LOVE IT!!
I love stories where Camelot has preconceived notions of Emrys that were leftover from the purge! It has so much potential! Angst, humor, misunderstandings, self-reflection, it has it all! I wish more fics would explore it.
(This also reminds me of an au idea that's been sitting in my drafts for months. I should probably finish that one!)
One of the first prophecies in Albion was of Emrys and the Once and Future King. Every Seer in the realm had similar visions of the two powerful, glorious beings that would one day walk the earth. The prophecies remained prophecies for a few centuries before it began to grow into a fairytale story. Children were told stories of Emrys and the Once and Future King that would one day bring peace to Albion. Then it grew more and more as a story that people began to forget it was once a prophecy. When Uther began his Purge, he changed the story he himself had grown up hearing. He made Emrys out to be a creature of pure evil. If Emrys was magic incarnate, he couldnât be anything other than evil. Children still heard of Emrys after the Purge, but he was a boogeyman, a villain that would snatch disobeying children from their homes and feast of them in the woods.
Arthur grew up hearing tales of the horrible, fearsome Emrys. Uther used Emrys as a tool to get Arthur to behave and be a perfect prince. Merlin heard of the fairytale version of Emrys from his mother. The Druids continued to worship Emrys as their deity but people thought them mad, heâs nothing more than a character in a story, but the Druids never forgot the prophecy. And with their Sight, their ability to recognize Emrys on sight, Uther lumped Druids in with the evilness he had slapped on Emrysâ name. He said the Druids performed sacrifices and rituals in Emrysâ name to try and conjure the demon to steal childrenâs souls.
Anyways, post-magic reveal Mordred calls Merlin Emrys and Arthur just freezes bc he Knows that Mordred is a Druid, and he Knows that Druids worship Emrys and would not take his name in vain or call someone else the name of their deity, and he was brought up hearing stories of Emrys being a demon, pure evil. So he just kinda. Looks. At Merlin who just grumbles about being called that but responds as if itâs normal and Arthur is a bit terrified. Heâs like âYouâre Emrys?â To Merlin who shrugs and is like âI guessâ (unaware of the horrifying stories Uther spun of Emrys, only knowing what his mother and Kilgharrah said and how the Druids worship him).
The other knights have heard of the Demon Emrys except Percival who grew up in Druid camps but doesnât have their Sight so he didnât know Merlin was Emrys until right now. Gwaine laughing a little uncomfortably to break the tension and is like âSoâŚtaste any good children lately?â Arthur slaps him up back the head. Merlin just looks disgusted and confused. Mordred and Percival are offended on his behalf. Lancelot is amused by it all and sits back to watch the chaos. Leon and Elyan are shaking their heads at Gwaineâs stupidity. Why the hell would he say something like that to a DEMON????
This is hilarious! What might be even funnier is if returned!Arthur (or even canon era Arthur post magic reveal), can always see through Merlin's disguises, such that Merlin, no matter what form he takes, always looks like the young man that Arthur knows.
So people around them see Arthur flirting with and crushing hard on this old man, and they think he has a weird kink or maybe is in some sort of sugar baby situation, while Arthur has absolutely no clue that Merlin looks like an old man to everyone else! đ
Broke: They had to have Dolma as an old lady because a young woman would have been too recognizable for Arthur, who regularly clocks Merlinâs disguises through his eyes alone.
Woke: They had to have Dolma as an old lady because a young woman would have sent Morgana Pendragon barreling out of her bog to make an introduction to the pretty new sorceress in town.
Bespoke: Gwaine was not allowed to meet Dolma as an old lady because he would have flirted with her on sight and Merlin would have gone with it.
Another thought on this, you know what would also be funny? If Arthur, Merlin, and the knights, while on a quest, came across a colony of trolls living in a cave.
Of course, they all prepare to be attacked by the angry trolls, but then one troll barks out in a gravelly voice, "Wait, isn't that human with the gold sword Grolda's stepson?"
The trolls pause and look at Arthur, and they start murmuring amongst themselves, while Arthur, Merlin, and the knights all glance at each other, very confused, but they begin to creep back towards the exit while the trolls are distracted by whatever they're talking about.
Before they can make it to the exit and escape though, the trolls turn back to them with grotesque smiles on their faces. Suddenly, one of the trolls started speaking to Arthur, who had to resist the urge to violently flinch backwards at the smell of its breath.
"Well, we had heard that that old wench had gone and disguised herself as some ugly princess to trick the king of Camelot into marrying her, but none of us thought she'd ever get away with it! It turns out you humans are a bit thicker in the head than you think! Never thought we'd be seeing you around these parts though!"
Arthur and Merlin both take sharp inhales at that, realizing now that these trolls must have known the one that pretended to be Catrina and infiltrated Camelot.
The group of trolls then starts to crowd around the group of humans, putting them on the defensive. The trolls push them back, further into the cave and towards a long slab of rock that looked like it was being used as a long feasting table, if the rotten fruit and meat piled up on it was any indication.
Arthur's anxiety increased with each step back he was forced to take. Were these trolls aiming to avenge their friend? Oh god, were the trolls looking to make a meal out of them?!
Arthur swung his sword at the troll in front of him with all his might, fueled by fear and desperation. He couldn't meet his end at the hands of these disgusting creatures!
To Arthur's horror though, the beast simply caught his arm in an inhumanly strong grip and laughed, his breath somehow smelling even worse than before.
"You've got some fight in ya! I'm sure you'll fit right in, but that still no way to greet family!"
Arthur lowered his arm, confusion somehow overpowering his fear. "Family?" His tone was filled with disgust, confusion, and sheer disbelief.
The troll grinned at him again, this time slinging a grimy arm over Arthur's shoulders.
"Of course! I should introduce myself. The name's Bronk, and I'm your step-uncle!"
(Merlin almost couldn't stop himself from laughing hysterically, but he managed to barely stifle his laughs.)
And that's how Arthur found himself, dumbfounded, sitting with Merlin and the knights at a feasting table filled with rotten food, listening to his new "extended family" introduce themselves and discuss all the best ways to introduce him to the troll lifestyle.
The trolls all tolerated the knights, but funnily enough, they seemed to be enjoying Merlin's company, laughing at the stories that the manservant was telling them. At Arthur's questioning look, Merlin shrugs and says "It's not that different from sitting with the knights during feasts. They have all the same manners anyways, and at least the trolls don't demand me to fetch them more mead."
And that's how Arthur got forcefully adopted by his troll stepfamily! :D
(also @sugar-coated-prat-dragon, since I promised you something fluffy! <3)
You know what's one thing I'm disappointed we never got in Merlin? After the troll episodes, the entire event was never brought up again!
I mean, I understand if the people of Camelot would rather forget about the whole thing, but Arthur had a troll for a stepmother for like a week and Merlin never teased him about it later on?!
I would really like to write a fic or au some day set in the Golden Age where it's discovered that dragonlords got their powers from being descended from ancient powerful dragons that shapeshifted in humans and had half-human children.
And Arthur's reaction is to turn to Merlin and go "So what you're telling me is that one of your ancestors was deranged enough to sleep with a dragon? That certainly confirms my theory that your insanity is passed down through your blood."
And of course Merlin immediately fires back, "And remind me Sire, which of our family trees includes a troll?"
Arthur sputters for a moment before shouting that that doesn't count, she enchanted his father and the whole thing was a trick, before Geoffrey pipes up and says, "Actually sire, as it was an official wedding, Queen Catrina the Troll was officially added to the Pendragon family tree. And as the marriage was never formally annulled before her death, she cannot be removed from the record."
Arthur's left horrified by this, while Merlin's laughing his ass off.
I just think a scene like that would be neat!
These tags are some amazing angst ideas, OP! I'd also love to see more fics explore Merlin having a deep-seated fear of fire from the threat of the pyre hanging over his head for so many years.
merlin magic reveal fic where arthur asks âwhy didnât you tell me?â and merlin says, mirthless smile and haunted eyes âall my dreams end in fire. fire and burning and dyingâ
Ooh, I like this! Arthur trying to be a good caretaker (but not always succeeding because he doesn't know what he's doing, but he's trying all the same) always hit me in the feels!
Sick fic except no one is sick.
Merlin is tired of the tavern excuse and at this point, Arthur doesn't really believe the 'gathering herbs' thing either anymore.
So, Merlin tells Arthur he's sick.
Except he didn't account for the fact that Arthur becomes a terrified worryward of a mess. Merlin, thinking he's got some time alone, is now chained to his bed with Arthur feeding him soup and 'checking his temperature', only that Arthur has no clue what he's doing.
Merlin on the other hand can only think of the assassin and.... 'Actually, this is nice.'
Ooh, I always love thinking about the implications of Arthur's soul being created by magic.
That's because we know that Merlin is magic itself! He's magic made human! Which essentially means that Merlin created Arthur's soul, even before he was born as a human.
Do you think that Merlin, on some level, recognized himself in Arthur the moment they met? That his soul and Arthur's were quite literally made from the same material? That Arthur is a part of himself in a literal sense, and he cannot be whole without him?
I just love all of the door that interpretation opens up for the story!
in the showâs lore if arthur is born âof magicâ and therefore not âof utherâ does that then make him only âof igraineâ who bore him?
and then further, does that mean that, in truth, he is not related to morgana and she is the only âtrueâ pendragon?
interesting i guess also that arthur was conceived in desperation for the pendragon line to continue and it was with his death that it ultimately ended heirless
i can hear the writers yelling being like you werenât meant to think this hard about the show lmao
every aspect of arthurâs life being infected with tragedy hits as hard as the truck in the epilogue
anywayâŚas you were
Merlin and Uther uniting forces when Arthur's acting like an idiot will always be so funny to me!
Merlin đ¤ Uther
Arthur's an enchanted dumbass
Uther asking Merlin "what happened to him(Arthur)?!!" Like dude shouldn't you be looking out for that idiot đ
And Arthur all the time under the love spell like "la la la love"
Holding this so close to my heart! This is awesome!!
Merlin & Arthur | Somebody to Die For by @imagine-dragonlords
I am so ridiculously proud of this and it took EVERYTHING in me to make it, I hope you all enjoy! â¤ď¸
You know, I didn't think that one of my most popular posts would be a joke about Arthur's troll stepmom, but I'll take it!
Now I definitely have to incorporate this into my next au!
You know what's one thing I'm disappointed we never got in Merlin? After the troll episodes, the entire event was never brought up again!
I mean, I understand if the people of Camelot would rather forget about the whole thing, but Arthur had a troll for a stepmother for like a week and Merlin never teased him about it later on?!
I would really like to write a fic or au some day set in the Golden Age where it's discovered that dragonlords got their powers from being descended from ancient powerful dragons that shapeshifted in humans and had half-human children.
And Arthur's reaction is to turn to Merlin and go "So what you're telling me is that one of your ancestors was deranged enough to sleep with a dragon? That certainly confirms my theory that your insanity is passed down through your blood."
And of course Merlin immediately fires back, "And remind me Sire, which of our family trees includes a troll?"
Arthur sputters for a moment before shouting that that doesn't count, she enchanted his father and the whole thing was a trick, before Geoffrey pipes up and says, "Actually sire, as it was an official wedding, Queen Catrina the Troll was officially added to the Pendragon family tree. And as the marriage was never formally annulled before her death, she cannot be removed from the record."
Arthur's left horrified by this, while Merlin's laughing his ass off.
I just think a scene like that would be neat!
You know what's one thing I'm disappointed we never got in Merlin? After the troll episodes, the entire event was never brought up again!
I mean, I understand if the people of Camelot would rather forget about the whole thing, but Arthur had a troll for a stepmother for like a week and Merlin never teased him about it later on?!
I would really like to write a fic or au some day set in the Golden Age where it's discovered that dragonlords got their powers from being descended from ancient powerful dragons that shapeshifted in humans and had half-human children.
And Arthur's reaction is to turn to Merlin and go "So what you're telling me is that one of your ancestors was deranged enough to sleep with a dragon? That certainly confirms my theory that your insanity is passed down through your blood."
And of course Merlin immediately fires back, "And remind me Sire, which of our family trees includes a troll?"
Arthur sputters for a moment before shouting that that doesn't count, she enchanted his father and the whole thing was a trick, before Geoffrey pipes up and says, "Actually sire, as it was an official wedding, Queen Catrina the Troll was officially added to the Pendragon family tree. And as the marriage was never formally annulled before her death, she cannot be removed from the record."
Arthur's left horrified by this, while Merlin's laughing his ass off.
I just think a scene like that would be neat!
You understand the vision! As funny (and justified) as Merlin fighting the gods would be, I always get a good laugh out of imagining Merlin rampaging through the underworld like:
While Arthur hasn't even been dead for an hour yet!
Silly Little Halloween Story Idea
Hello everyone! While I'm working on my next au, I had a fun little idea for another Halloween au! I don't really have the time to flesh this out, but I wanted to share it anyways!
Basically, in this au, everything in the show goes the exact same way as in canon, including the ending. Arthur dies, and Merlin left to wander the earth without him.
Except this is Merlin we're talking about here. There's no force in the universe that's strong enough to keep Merlin from Arthur's side, not even death.
So, Merlin starts bargaining with the Sidhe, who refuse to give him any information until he forces them to talk. They reveal that Arthur's soul is resting in the Underworld while his body rested in the lake, kept pristine by its magic until the day he was fated to rise again.
Merlin then takes the natural next step of opening a portal to the Underworld and stepping through it while armed with Excalibur, ready to annihilate anything that gets in his way.
So, Merlin fights his way through the Underworld Doomslayer-style, searching for his king. There are, of course, many monsters that he fights along the way, but they're no match for Merlin's magic and the power held in Excalibur.
Finally, after fighting monsters and making his way to the center of the Underworld, a high-ranking demon finally gives him some answers: the King of the Underworld knows that Merlin is seeking out Arthur's soul, but he refuses to give Arthur back to Merlin willingly.
Merlin then begins his trek towards the King of the Dead's palace, cutting down any beast that stands in his way, until he finally faces the demonic King of the Underworld himself. It was a brutal battle, but Merlin ends up victorious and claims the throne of the Underworld for himself. The demonic monsters, who value strength above all else, are more than happy to pledge their loyalty to a stronger king than the one they had before.
No sooner than Merlin sat on the throne of the dead, he demanded that Arthur's soul be brought to him.
The demon forcibly leading Arthur into the throne room: We have done as you requested, Sire.
Arthur, upon seeing Merlin sitting on a throne with demons bowing to him: Merlin, I've only been gone for half a year, WTF?
Merlin, looking VERY demonic but overjoyed to see Arthur again:
That's all on this idea for now, but I might expand on it later! I think Merlin overthrowing the King of the Underworld and become a Demon King just to get Arthur back would be a fun story lol!
Yes!! And some men were *squints at notes* born to plow great kings! That's how that episode went, right? Yeah, nothing heartbreaking at all happened in that episode. :)
"i'm a top" "i'm a bottom" okay?? some men are born to... plow fields... some live to be great physicians, others... to be great kings. me? i was born to serve you arthur. and i'm proud of that. and i wouldn't change a thing.
Silly Little Halloween Story Idea
Hello everyone! While I'm working on my next au, I had a fun little idea for another Halloween au! I don't really have the time to flesh this out, but I wanted to share it anyways!
Basically, in this au, everything in the show goes the exact same way as in canon, including the ending. Arthur dies, and Merlin left to wander the earth without him.
Except this is Merlin we're talking about here. There's no force in the universe that's strong enough to keep Merlin from Arthur's side, not even death.
So, Merlin starts bargaining with the Sidhe, who refuse to give him any information until he forces them to talk. They reveal that Arthur's soul is resting in the Underworld while his body rested in the lake, kept pristine by its magic until the day he was fated to rise again.
Merlin then takes the natural next step of opening a portal to the Underworld and stepping through it while armed with Excalibur, ready to annihilate anything that gets in his way.
So, Merlin fights his way through the Underworld Doomslayer-style, searching for his king. There are, of course, many monsters that he fights along the way, but they're no match for Merlin's magic and the power held in Excalibur.
Finally, after fighting monsters and making his way to the center of the Underworld, a high-ranking demon finally gives him some answers: the King of the Underworld knows that Merlin is seeking out Arthur's soul, but he refuses to give Arthur back to Merlin willingly.
Merlin then begins his trek towards the King of the Dead's palace, cutting down any beast that stands in his way, until he finally faces the demonic King of the Underworld himself. It was a brutal battle, but Merlin ends up victorious and claims the throne of the Underworld for himself. The demonic monsters, who value strength above all else, are more than happy to pledge their loyalty to a stronger king than the one they had before.
No sooner than Merlin sat on the throne of the dead, he demanded that Arthur's soul be brought to him.
The demon forcibly leading Arthur into the throne room: We have done as you requested, Sire.
Arthur, upon seeing Merlin sitting on a throne with demons bowing to him: Merlin, I've only been gone for half a year, WTF?
Merlin, looking VERY demonic but overjoyed to see Arthur again:
That's all on this idea for now, but I might expand on it later! I think Merlin overthrowing the King of the Underworld and become a Demon King just to get Arthur back would be a fun story lol!
Do I even need to say it at this point?
I probably don't, but I will anyways.
â¨
â¨
Either romantic or platonic, it works either way!
Favourite ship dynamic: no one truly knows what exactly is going on between the two characters, including the characters themselves. But whatever it is, it's written in the fabric of the universe.
Poll Time!
Hello everyone! I'm back with another surprise poll for you all! While I'm working on the next chapter of "What to do When an Eldritch God Decides that You're Friend-Shaped", which will hopefully be finished over the coming weekend, I want to know what au you all would like to see next! So,
Continuation of my last au where
I'm looking forward to seeing what you all choose!
Hello everyone! I'm back with another Merlin au! This one is a horror-themed au for spooky season! Enjoy!
This au is Inspired by the story of King Pedro I of Portugal and Ines de Castro (which is a heartbreaking story that deserves to have more people talking about it), and it's set in a world where Merlin and Arthur are already together in season 3. After a magic reveal gone wrong, Merlin's magic was revealed while Uther was still alive, leading to Uther ordering Merlin's execution while Arthur was away on a hunting trip. When Arthur returns, he's met with the news of Merin's death, but he refuses to believe such horrible news until he rushes into Gaius's chambers, screaming for Merlin, only to find Gaius and Gwen sobbing over Merlin's body.
Arthur is overcome by grief and, after a few hours sitting in Gaius's chambers staring at Merlin's unnaturally still form with tears streaming down his face, Arthur marches off to face his father, to make him pay for his crimes. Uther is, of course, furious over Arthur getting so worked up over a treacherous sorcerer, but Arthur fights him like a madman, fueled by grief and rage.
In the end, Arthur wins the duel, and while the shocked lords and knights watching the whole ordeal were expecting Arthur to run his father through with is blade, Arthur does something that no one expects. He uses his blade to carve open Uther's chest, cutting out his heart, saying that Uther had been so heartless as to take Arthur's love from him, this ought to be his fate.
While the lords and knights were all shocked and horrified at the display, there was little they could do besides acknowledge the prince as their new ruler. Within a couple days, Uther's funeral and Arthur's coronation were organized, but Arthur still felt numb, even as the crown was placed on his head. He could almost feel the empty consort's throne next to him, where Merlin was always supposed to be, mocking him viciously.
But then, an idea formed in Arthur's not-quite-sane-anymore mind. Merlin had always deserved to sit at his side, to be honored as any consort to a king should be. Arthur had to see this through, to ensure that Merlin received the honors that he was denied during life.
Arthur ordered the servants to, under Gaius's supervision, collect Merlin's body, dress him in royal robes, and have him carried to the throne room. There was no way to make any of this right again, no way to make Arthur feel whole once more, but there was a way to make sure that Merlin's memory and all that he meant to Arthur lived on.
When the doors to the throne room finally opened, shocked and horrified gasps rose up from the assembled court at the sight that awaited them. There, being carried in on a stone slab, lay Merlin's pale, prone body, dressed in royal finery from Arthur's own wardrobe. His colorless pallor against the rich red robes created a striking and distinctly disturbing contrast, which was only heightened by the colorful jewelry that accompanied the outfit.
Arthur imagined what a magnificent sight Merlin would have made if he were alive and yearned for such a vision with all of his heart. But the reality of the situation was as grim as the expressions of the knights carrying Merlin's body. Merlin was gone, taking Arthur heart and all of his joy with him, and all that was left for Arthur to feel was somber determination to make at least one thing right: Merlin would be honored and remembered as a king.
The crowd's shocked whispering didn't cease as the procession passed them and made its way towards the thrones, reverently placing the slab in front of the steps to the throne, but they were shocked into silence as Arthur picked up Merlin's body and cradled him gently before carrying him over to the consort's throne and placing him on it with the greatest care.
The court was silenced at the disturbing sight of a limp body sitting in the queen's throne, but horrified gasps shot up from the crowd as the king suddenly turned around to face them, his eyes bloodshot and glaring at them all.
"You, all of you, stood by and let my father do this! And now, you will show your respect to the man you had forsaken. Merlin was everything to me, and I never had any intention to rule without him by my side. Living or dead, if I am king, then so is he."
Arthur slowly made his way back to his own throne and sat down, a picture of royal power. His eyes darted over to Merlin for a second, before shifting back over the crowd. Still, was it just Arthur's desperate imagination, or was there now a slight flush in Merlin's skin that wasn't there earlier?
"Just as you all knelt before me and took an oath of fealty, you will do the same for him. You will give him all of the honor he deserved in life."
At first, the lords in attendance just looked at him in utter disbelief, but the fierce glare Arthur sent them confirmed that the king was being entirely serious. Slowly, each of the lords knelt before the consort's throne, not daring to look up at the disturbing sight before them, and recited their oaths of fealty, feeling the king's burning gaze on them all the while.
Finally, after all of the lords had taken their oaths, a pale Geoffrey presented Arthur with the consort's crown, a treasure that had not been seen by anyone since Ygraine's passing. Arthur gingerly lifted the crown and made his way over to Merlin.
As he stepped closer, Arthur wanted to weep. Perhaps it was some cruel trick his mind was playing on him, put it looked like Merlin's color had returned to him, making him appear like he was only sleeping, like he would wake up and everything would be fine again.
Taking a steadying breath to hold his tears at bay, Arthur finally stepped right in front of Merlin, holding the crown over his motionless head. It wasn't fair, Arthur decided. It wasn't fair that Arthur had finally become king, was finally in a place where he could openly profess his love for Merlin, but Merlin wasn't here by his side to see it!
Still, he could let everyone else see his love for Merlin. Slowly, he lowered the crown onto Merlin's head, letting rest on his limp head. Arthur took a shaking step back, trembling with rage and grief as he looked at Merlin, bedecked in royal robes and wearing the crown that Arthur had always longest to give him. Arthur's own mind still mocked him, making Merlin look almost alive again, like he was only sleeping, when Arthur when that Merlin was gone, and all that was left of him was this pale, empty shell and a terrible hollowness in Arthur's chest where his heart was supposed to be.
Arthur tenderly gasped Merlin's chin, tilting his head up to face him. This was goodbye, Arthur knew it. After this, Merlin would be laid to rest with all the honors of a king, and Arthur would be left ruling over his kingdom alone and heartbroken for the rest of his days. With tears flowing freely down his face, Arthur leaned down and pressed a kiss onto Merlin's lips. Once again, Arthur's mind took pity on him, as he could swear that Merlin's lips were warm with life under his own.
Arthur drew back, gazing at his love's face for what might be the last time, attempting to commit every minute detail to memory, such that Merlin's likeness would never fade from his mind even as the years went by. As Arthur eyes scanned over Merlin's face, however, there was one thing that struck him as odd before his mind caught up to what he was seeing and his heart, which had felt cold and frozen fir days, started beating at a frantic rhythm.
Because Merlin's eyes were open.
(Yes, Merlin was immortal the whole time, but his magic was just taking a while to heal him lol!)
And that's all for now! I hope you all enjoyed this au! Let me know if you'd like to see a continuation!
And, as always, thank you for reading through my ramblings! :D
Arthur: If I need Merlin more than I realize, then I'm pretty sure my heart would simply stop beating if Merlin isn't within shouting distance of me at all times.
The Druids, who know about all of the times Merlin saves Arthur from magical harm: sweating because he isn't entirely wrong, but for a reason he doesn't know yet
Druid: you need him more than you realize
Arthur: Merlin?
Druid: yes
Arthur: ... You mean...
Druids: it may not sound credible-
Arthur: the guy dresses me, feeds me, does my job for me when I'm tired, offers me advise and insight, he keeps me in check and from turning into a tyrant and you're telling me I need him more than I realize?
Yup, insulting Arthur or making Arthur sad in front of Merlin is Camelot's equivalent to setting off ye olde nuclear warhead! It never ends well.
Someone: *insults Arthur*
Merlin:
I love the idea of Merlin's magic being sentient and completely thirsty for Arthur! đ
And Merlin himself isn't any less thirsty, he just has a better understanding of what's socially acceptable. His magic isn't quite on board with the idea that it's considered rude to take some of your crush's blood and mix it with pure magic to create a new soul as an offspring.
Council: Sir, you have to get married soon!!!! People demand an heir!!!!
Arthur: *gay panic* I'm pregnant!
Council: what?
Arthur: *points at Merlin*: it's his!!!
Merlin: what?
Arthur: it's a magic thing! Magic did this! *Whispering* thank god magic is legal now*
Merlin's magic: can we? Can we???? He basically allowed this just now!!! Please!!!
Merlin: no!! We're going to ask him first!!!
post magic reveal arthur is like â:/ mmm iâll open up communications with the druids but idk about repealing the ban :/â and merlin is like â??? why??â and arthurâs like âwell magic is evil, thatâs all iâve been taught and all i know. i know youâre not evil but idk about other sorcerers, i canât just let them free.â and merlinâs like âwhatâll get you to consider itâ and arthurâs like âwell you say that magic isnât something you chose, it choses you. alright, but people still chose to use it.â and merlin who has never followed this train of thought before is like,,, âyou wanna test it? experiment? i can stop using my magic and weâll see what happensâ and arthur who has been playing his fatherâs lessons on magic through his head for the past like month since he found out and has been trying to figure out a way to get merlin to stop corrupting his soul jumps on the opportunity and is like âgreat idea :] nothing could go wrong :] you stop corrupting yourself and i donât have to set magic free :]â
merlin stops using his magic for everything. he makes a conscious effort to force it all down and away and the first few days pass by fine. then he starts to get a little dizzy and then he gets spacey and distracted but not rambly, just staring off into space. then heâs just like. not there anymore. druids come to camelot to speak with arthur but canât stop staring at merlin and eventually cut the conversation off to point at merlin and ask whats wrong with him
when they find out whats been going on they go all âoh shitâ and urge everyone to stand still and not make a move. arthur inquires and they answer. magic has built up within him. magics natural state is free, it wishes to be used and to fly free, to be cooped up within someone is like caging a wild stallion. it bucks and kicks at the gate, bites at its handlers, and fights like hell to be set free. the magic thats been trapped within merlin for a couple of weeks is practically tearing him apart from the inside trying to set itself free. but! they canât just tell him to use magic here. even the smallest use of magic would be a crack in a dam that would crumble like ash and set all the magic free. and with all that magic - all of emrysâs magic? he could very well flatten the city.
they cautiously, EXTREMELY cautiously, guide merlin out of the room, out of the castle, and into the middle of the woods. they urged everyone (who followed which is like arthur and his knights) back and out of the forest. then from a distance, the eldest druid mentally reached out to merlin and instructed him to let his magic loose. within seconds a blast of pure golden light shoots forth and flattens the entire forest, the druids casting a large shield to protect themselves, arthur, and his men.
merlin staggers to his feet in the distance and the eldest druid reaches out again, for safe measure, and tells him to let loose once more. merlin obeys and reaches down into the ground and pulls all the trees back up and imbues them with life so they thrive once more. the druids claim the forest as their own, sacred by order of emrys. arthur allows it. and then goes home to draft up a magic ban repeal. and an apology to merlin.
Sigan: Arthur will tremble at your voice. He will kneel at your feet.
*Long pause before Merlin responds compared to any of Sigan's other statments as Merlin asks himself why certain aspects of this idea are apealing. Then Merlin reminds himself HOW Sigan means this before he can figure out his feels.*
Merlin: I don't want that.
I should probably mention that this fic features an alternate timeline where Merlin sacrificed himself for Arthur at Camlann, leading to Arthur inheriting Merlin's magic and going mad trying to get Merlin back, even going so far as to travel to another timeline where Merlin's still alive đ
Hello everyone! You all remember how I said I was working on something special to celebrate some tumblr milestones? Well, my surprise project is finished!
To celebrate both reaching 500 (500! holy cow!) followers and my 100th post, I decided to challenge myself! So, I joined @merlin-fic-server's Tournament of Champions, a challenge for Merlin fic writers, fan artists, and podfic makers! The challenge for writers that I chose was to write a new 10k fic based on a randomly generated prompt in 24 hours.
I've never participated in anything like this before, but it felt nice to challenge myself! The result is a fic both fits with the usual themes of my stories (like characters getting put in ridiculous situations), but it's also different from anything I've ever written before, feeling a bit more grounded than my usual silly writing.
So, I'd like to thank you all! I never could have imagined that this blog would bring me and so many people so much joy, and I wouldn't have been inspired to challenge myself if it wasn't for you support! You all have been amazing to me, and I'm looking forward to sharing more of my unhinged ramblings with this fandom!
For now, I hope you all enjoy this little experiment of mine! I'll see you all next time! :D
If any of the knights possessed a single observant brain cell, Merlin would be in a lot of trouble lol!
I absolutely love this, it's giving me some ideas!
What if magic, the ambient natural magic of the world, loved Arthur? It recognizes Arthur as its own creation, destined to be with its physical form one day. So, even before Merlin and Arthur met, the magic of the world loved Arthur, knowing what he would one day become to Merlin.
As Arthur grows up, the magic that exists around Camelot aids him in whatever way it can. It can't do much without a sorcerer harnessing and guiding it, but it can influence the world around it in subtle ways, with a conveniently placed root tripping over an attacker here, or a branch falling from a tree there. Nothing that couldn't just be written off as good luck, but it happens so frequently for Arthur that he assumes that it's normal. After all, he's never known anything else.
So, when Merlin finally arrives and takes Arthur's protection into his own hands, Arthur doesn't notice anything amiss. Tree branches fall and knock out bandits all the time, that's just what always happens. His opponents, no matter how experienced, trip over roots. That's just the way it goes, nothing out of the ordinary.
So, when Leon tries to explain to Arthur that no, your attackers suddenly being rendered unconscious is not normal, Arthur doesn't buy it.
When Leon tries to prove it to Arthur the next time bandits attack, Leon's opponent is succinctly tripped over by a root and crushed by a falling tree. Leon just stands there in shock, while Arthur walks over like "See, I told you so! That's always what happens during fights! It always has."
And Leon's just standing there trying to figure out a) what the actual fuck just happened and b) how his king was such an oblivious dumbass.
Meanwhile, Merlin's laughing his ass off in the background.
*after battle*
Leon: Something strange is going on. During that fight a tree just... fell on one of the bandits when he was about to kill me
Arthur: Don't be ridiculous, trees and buildings and chandeliers fall on people I'm fighting all the time. It's normal
Leon: What?
Merlin: Hey look a distraction!
Hello everyone! You all remember how I said I was working on something special to celebrate some tumblr milestones? Well, my surprise project is finished!
To celebrate both reaching 500 (500! holy cow!) followers and my 100th post, I decided to challenge myself! So, I joined @merlin-fic-server's Tournament of Champions, a challenge for Merlin fic writers, fan artists, and podfic makers! The challenge for writers that I chose was to write a new 10k fic based on a randomly generated prompt in 24 hours.
I've never participated in anything like this before, but it felt nice to challenge myself! The result is a fic both fits with the usual themes of my stories (like characters getting put in ridiculous situations), but it's also different from anything I've ever written before, feeling a bit more grounded than my usual silly writing.
So, I'd like to thank you all! I never could have imagined that this blog would bring me and so many people so much joy, and I wouldn't have been inspired to challenge myself if it wasn't for you support! You all have been amazing to me, and I'm looking forward to sharing more of my unhinged ramblings with this fandom!
For now, I hope you all enjoy this little experiment of mine! I'll see you all next time! :D
I wasn't planning on posting this today, but this idea came to me today and I must share it! (I'm still working on my special au to celebrate two big tumblr milestones! Hopefully it'll be done by the end of the week!)
With all of the dehumanizing propaganda labelling magic users as "inhuman monsters" that Uther spread during the purge, people who are attracted to magic users are probably labelled as deviants. In Camelot, saying "yeah I'd bang a wizard" is considered completely taboo. But that doesn't stop people from fantasying about what they can't have.
This, of course, spawns a whole genre of steamy romance manuscripts featuring evil sorcerers kidnapping fair maidens and falling in love with them, powerful wizards seducing innocent princess with their dark magics, dark and broody warlocks tricking naive ladies into becoming their lovers through a devil's bargain, etc. These cheesy romance manuscripts are quite popular with the ladies of Camelot, as they have a forbidden aspect to them in both the owning of such stories and the material of the stories themselves. Plus, when you're a noblewoman trapped in a loveless political marriage, the fantasy of a dark and powerful magic user becoming enamored with them and stealing them away is quite the appealing fantasy.
To many people in Camelot, magic users become the ultimate forbidden romance fantasy, being (in their imaginations) secretive and powerful creatures who can use their magic to exert their will and their dark desires on their innocent victims.
The few people in Camelot who have actually slept with magic users don't help these rumors either, as they only add fuel to the fire. Gwaine certainly has plenty of stories to share about how much fun sorcerers and witches can be in bed with their magic, and the people in the tavern listen with rapt attention and furious blushing when he tells those stories.
But when tales of Emrys, the last dragonlord and the most powerful sorcerer to ever live, travel from the druids to Camelot? The wizard-fuckers in Camelot went wild.
Within a couple weeks, there were dozens of steamy (and VERY imaginative) romance novels and manuscripts written and passed around Camelot, all revolving around the mysterious and brooding warlock Emrys.
As people's dirty imaginations ran wild with what Emrys might be like, the general perception of Emrys became more and more ridiculous. According to some of these stories, Emrys was a seven foot tall brooding warlock whose magic made him irresistible, forcing people to succumb to his will.
Pretty much everyone in Camelot gets their hands on one of these manuscripts or hears about them. Gwaine has his own collection of them, which isn't too shocking to anyone, but, to everyone's surprise, Merlin starts collecting some of those stories too (to make sure that no one else gets their hands of such embarrassing material, but people just assume that he has some sort of kink). He even blushes whenever someone mentions them (out of mortification).
Eventually, Arthur finds out about his kingdom's dirty fascination with this Emrys guy because people kept teasing Merlin for his crush on Emrys. Arthur demands to know who Merlin has fallen for (for security reasons, of course, not because he's jealous). It's at that point that Gwen and the knights have to tell Arthur that his entire kingdom (including Merlin apparently) has been thirsting over a hot mysterious sorcerer that no one actually knows anything about.
Arthur almost blows up when he hears this, furious that his entire kingdom has been having dirty fantasies about a dangerous man who's most likely their enemy! And don't even get him started on how Merlin, his Merlin, has the audacity to be more attracted to this Emrys than Arthur himself! This is outrageous!
However, no matter how much Arthur tries to point out to Merlin that being attracted to Emrys is a bad idea and nothing will ever come of it anyways, he still keeps on catching Merlin with those dirty manuscripts about Emrys! (Because Merlin is still trying to secretly get rid of them all).
Eventually, Arthur gets frustrated enough that he'll try anything to get Merlin's attention away from Emrys. He thinks over how he could do that for a while, until one day he overheard two ladies of the court talking about how much they enjoyed it when their partners in bed roleplayed as a powerful magic user like Emrys, and Arthur begrudging came to a solution.
The next day, when Arthur catches Merlin reading a story about Emrys and blushing wildly again, Arthur clears his throat, looks a mortified Merlin dead in the eyes, and asks, "if I took you to bed and pretended to be Emrys while doing so, would that finally get you over your ridiculous attraction to this criminal of a sorcerer?"
Arthur was perhaps a bit too blunt in his delivery, as Merlin promptly started choking on air after Arthur's question in lieu of an answer, much to Arthur's annoyance. You see, as much as it would irritate Arthur to have to pretend to be another man, let alone an enemy sorcerer, in bed, Arthur had a plan.
Arthur obviously needed to rein in Merlin's lust before his servant did anything stupid (like fall into bed with an actual dangerous sorcerer), and what better way to do that than slake Merlin's lust himself? Truly, Arthur was the most generous king there ever was (ignoring his own rampant attraction towards Merlin). And once they were in bed, Arthur would prove to Merlin how great and how proficient a lover he is, and any thoughts of Emrys (or any man who wasn't Arthur for that matter), would be forgotten immediately in the face of how superior Arthur is!
Arthur mentally pats himself on the back for coming up with this genius plan as Merlin's coughing fit finally ends.
"Arthur, why on earth would you even ask that?!"
"Because you're clearly enamored with this sorcerer, so perhaps this will finally get that stupidity out of your system!"
They go back and forth like this for a while, until finally Merlin, to his own shock, agrees to Arthur's proposal. Arthur feels alight with victory for a few minutes, until he realizes that he'll have to learn how to act convincingly like a powerful sorcerer for one night. At that point, Arthur goes out to buy some dark robes for himself to hopefully get more into character, and even "studies" some of those spicy manuscripts to get an idea of what Merlin would be expecting.
Arthur barely managed to finish one of them from how scandalized he was at their contents. Why were these so popular with his subjects?! Still, Arthur soldiered on, reading more and more of the embarrassing romance manuscripts until he finally felt confident in what Merlin was looking for.
Of course, when the time came, Arthur was terrible at roleplaying as a sorcerer, but Merlin didn't mind one bit (most because Merlin was torn between laughing hysterically or being embarrassed beyond belief at at Arthur's poor impersonation of a poor interpretation of Merlin himself, so he decided to instead just enjoy being with Arthur).
And that's all for now! I'm thinking about doing a continuation of this later on, where Camelot (who's been thirsting over Emrys) learns that Merlin had been Emrys all along. Please let me know if you'd like to see that one day!
And, as always, thank you for reading through my ramblings! :D
has anyone else made this connection before bc im crying shitting throwing up banging my head against the wall like im actually not ok the direct parallels kill me i hate everything but i love them oh my god the first pic is arthur making fun of merlin and the second pic is arthur being worried oh my god the way their relationship has developed so much im so