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#Merlin imagine
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!
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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."
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helloalycia · 8 months
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the king’s ward [one] // morgana pendragon
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summary: when you and your brother travel to Camelot to compete in a fighting competition, there's one problem: women can't fight. So, naturally, you convince him to switch places with you whilst you have your chance to fight. And impressing the King's Ward is merely a bonus.
warning/s: mentions of fighting and violence.
author's note: hello! so this was impulse written not long ago when i rewatched merlin bc who doesn't love katie mcgrath? it's inspired by that merlin ep where arthur uses a decoy in his jousting (?) match! and it's kind of like she's the man if you think about it haha, so do enjoy! it's a multi-part imagine :)
two / three / four / masterlist / wattpad
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"This is gonna be amazing, Y/B/N," I said with a grin, trying to contain my excitement as we approached the tournament grounds.
"Reign it in," he said lightheartedly, though I knew he was right. I wasn't supposed to be competing, he was, so I had to play the part.
Every year, Camelot held a fighting tournament that anybody could compete in, even those who weren't knights. There were no rules and it was an open competition, however despite nothing explicitly saying women couldn't compete, it was a given. And so every year, I only dreamt of competing so that I could see if I was as good as I hoped. Finally, I came up with the genius idea for my brother, Y/B/N, to pretend to compete whilst I actually did the fighting. It wasn't foolproof, but I was desperate, and he agreed after much convincing.
We'd arrived in Camelot last night, our first ever visit to the kingdom, and were staying in the full to-the-brim tavern in a room above the pub. It wasn't ideal, but it would do the job. The real reason I was here was right before me and I couldn't be more excited.
"Y/B/N Y/L/N?" a voice called, and my brother and I both spun around to see a servant boy approaching. "You're up first. You can use the tent over there to get into your armour, if you have any."
"Thank you," Y/B/N said with a nod before we both headed over to his – AKA mine – tent.
"This is perfect for making the switch," I said with a contained grin, looking around the enclosed space.
"You heard the boy, you're up first," Y/B/N said with a smile, before dropping our bag on the bench. "Let's get you suited up."
He helped me pull my armour over the top of my clothes, a bulky-looking but lightweight set that fit us both and was easy enough for me to manoeuvre in whilst also hiding any distinguishable feminine body parts that could give me away. After that, he handed me my sword and gave me a supportive nod.
"Good luck out there," he said, my helmet in his hand. "You're gonna smash it, sis."
I grinned. "I will indeed. They aren't going to know what's hit them."
He laughed and helped me put on my helmet, the metal covering my whole head except for some slits in the eyes to let me see.
"You ready?" he asked once more, and I gave him a thumbs up, already committing to staying quiet. He patted my back. "Go and win!"
Taking a deep breath, I left the tent and headed to the grounds, the sight of all those people watching only exciting me more. All I'd ever dreamt of was showing people my skills, for them to take me seriously. Not as a woman or a man, but a fighter. And this was my chance, finally. I wasn't going to let it slip by.
"I'm sure you're all excited about the tournament, as am I," the King began to speak, silencing everyone in seconds. "It's going to be a magnificent week of fighting, skill and talent. We shall see who the best fighters of Albion truly are. Starting with our first match of the tournament – Y/B/N Y/L/N versus Henry Wright!"
The crowd erupted into cheers as my opponent and I walked in the centre, our chosen weapons at our side. The King looked down at us both with anticipation, waiting for quiet. And then when he was ready, he raised his hand.
"You may begin," was all he said, and I barely had chance to take a breath before my opponent, Henry, swung first.
His mace, spiked and heavy, almost took my head off if I didn't move in time. The crowd 'ooh'd' as it did and I tried to tune them out, focusing on the fight. I couldn't afford distractions.
As Henry kept moving forward, slashing his mace at me and trying to touch my armour, I dodged effortlessly. Henry may have been strong, but he was slow, and his weapon of choice was particularly terrible. Once he'd worn himself out, it was my turn to take a swing at him, my sword coming down on his gauntlets in a wide arc. Contact was made and he grunted loudly, grossly, and stepped back. I slashed a few more times, to which he was now on the defensive, using his clunky weapon as a barrier. But it didn't faze me as I kept on slashing, trying to back him into the side.
Once he was trapped, I let him take a shot at me, only to roll to the side at the last second and swipe his legs out from beneath him. He hit the ground as quickly as I directed my sword at his neck. Lifting his hands in defeat, I couldn't fight the grin from my lips.
The crowd erupted into cheers, yelling my brother's name, and I lowered my sword before offering out my hand. Henry let me pull him up before letting go bitterly, walking off the grounds. I laughed to myself before looking around me at the crowd, waving a little too cockily. I couldn't help it – I'd won! My first match!
When I turned to face the King, I saw he was clapping in his chair, impressed at my handiwork. Seated beside him was his ward, Morgana, and I'd heard so much of her but never seen her before. I wasn't prepared for her beauty, nor the vibrancy of her green eyes in the sun, even from a distance. And once again, I couldn't help but let my cockiness get the better of me. Between waving, I blew her a kiss, facing her directly in a way that I hoped she knew it was for her. Judging from the way she immediately turned pink in the face, I knew I'd succeeded.
After soaking in the glory a moment longer, I left to return to Y/B/N who was waiting for me in the tent. As soon as he saw me, a grin was on his face.
"Sounds like you gave them a good show," he commented as I rushed to remove my helmet and armour.
"Y/B/N, it was like nothing I've ever experienced," I admitted, still buzzing with adrenaline and excitement. "It was perfect. And you should've seen the way I got the other guy on his butt!"
He chuckled as I helped pull the armour onto him. "I'm sure it was something special. It's a shame I can't watch."
"We can't risk you being caught," I reminded him, before handing my sword and helmet. "Go on. Do your final waves. Don't forget to rub it in their face that I won, yeah?"
He rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm not doing that."
I laughed as he left the tent. My smile was permanent as I stood alone. One round down, several more to go.
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"The other guys are pretty rough," Y/B/N said as we hung back to watch the other matches and get a better feel for the competition. "You sure you're up for it?"
"Don't even joke," I said to him with a knowing look. "You know it's all I want. They don't scare me."
He raised his eyebrows. "Hey, I was thinking more about them. They're gonna get smothered and not even know it. You don't wanna give them a chance?"
A smile grew on my lips as I shoved him in the side. "You're so stupid."
He mirrored my smile before paying attention to the fights. We stayed there until the last fight before chatting about what we'd seen by the tents. The crowd was dispersing and the other fighters were talking about getting a drink at the tavern, even inviting my brother to join them. He found it strange, the attention, especially since he knew it wasn't for him. I assured him he had to be a team player and not raise suspicion, but he wasn't impressed.
As we were chatting, I couldn't help but notice a blur of black hair in my peripheral vision, and when I looked, I saw the Lady Morgana walking by with her handmaiden. She spotted my brother and I and, naturally, her attention was on my brother. She flashed him a smile, to which he awkwardly returned, and then began to approach us.
"Er, why is the Lady Morgana coming to talk to us?" Y/B/N asked nervously.
"No idea," I said, though my own smile was tempting to break out as my eyes wandered over her figure. She was seriously stunning.
"Hello there," Morgana spoke when she stopped before us. "It's Y/B/N, right?"
He nodded slowly, before clearing his throat and bowing. "A pleasure to meet you, my lady."
"Please, no need for the formalities," she said with a slight laugh, one that I knew I'd be dreaming of for days. "I just came to say that you put up a good fight this morning. I look forward to seeing your performance throughout the week."
"Thank you, my lady," was all he said, and I almost rolled my eyes at his dense self. Couldn't he see she was interested him?
"And who is this pretty lady?" she continued, and I realised she was speaking to me.
"I'm Y/N, my lady," I introduced myself with a smile. "Y/B/N's twin sister. Not identical, thankfully."
Y/B/N rolled his eyes as Morgana laughed at my joke.
"Well, it's lovely to meet you, Y/N," she said, eyes lingering on mine. "Might I say, you have a very talented brother."
I hummed in agreement, biting my tongue and trying not to laugh. Talented... I'd take it.
"I should be going, but have a good evening, both of you," Morgana finished, glancing between us before leaving.
"Y/N, what did you do? Why is she suddenly interested?" Y/B/N asked as I watched her walk away, entranced.
"Nothing," I reassured him, before tearing my gaze from Morgana and looking to Y/B/N. "What? I didn't do anything!"
He rolled his eyes and shoved me before walking away. I bit my lip to contain a grin and skipped after him. I was beginning to like it here.
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The next fight was soon upon me and it was safe to say that I was nailing it. My opponent was supposed to be a challenge, but I could swear it was only getting easier. He was over six feet tall and towering over me. Compared to me AKA Y/B/N, he was huge. Luckily for me, height wasn't an issue as my brother and I were close enough in height, a solid five foot eight and nine respectively, so it wouldn't give us away.
The fight was over in minutes, with me landing a winning blow to my clown of an opponent, right in the gut. As soon as he was down, the crowd were up and out of their seats, cheering me on. The intensity of their cheering surprised me at first, as I didn't realise they loved me so much. It took them longer to calm down, and a few flowers were thrown from the stands, making me grin as I waved at them. When I looked to the King, he was surprisingly smiling as he clapped his leather-gloved hands heavily. Morgana was stood up beside him, clapping with the crowd, and I couldn't stop myself.
Without thinking, I picked up a flower from the ground, dusted it off on my armour and threw it up to her. I was relieved when it landed at her feet, worried I'd missed, and she seemed surprised as she picked it up. When she looked at me, I bowed respectfully, making the crowd cheer even louder, and I tried to pretend I couldn't see King Uther losing his smile as he looked at me with suspicion. Oops?
I jogged back to the tent, feeling lightweight and overwhelmingly happy. Y/B/N clapped me on the back in congratulations before we exchanged gear and he headed back out to reveal his face, waving once more.
After he soaked in the glory for a little longer, I packed up our things and we left the tent to get some water. A few knights, to our surprise, approached us and began chatting to Y/B/N about his technique. He played along perfectly, since he was a decent fighter himself, and I merely watched as they spoke of my moves and skill, grinning to myself. Clearly I was doing better than I thought if the knights of Camelot were complimenting me.
"Hey, Y/B/N," a voice called from behind, and we both turned to see a flirtatiously-smiling Morgana walking past. She nodded at my brother, saying, "The flower was cute."
Poor Y/B/N was clueless. "The flower?"
Morgana laughed, thinking he was joking, and left. I suppressed a smile as we both turned to the knights. One of them gave Y/B/N a knowing look.
"Bold move giving the King's ward a flower right in front of the King himself," they said with a snicker, before leaving.
Y/B/N blinked and began to turn to me. "I did what?"
I smiled sheepishly. "What? She was impressed by my skill! How could I resist?"
"Y/N!"
"Look, she's pretty and she deserved it, okay?" I said nonchalantly. "It's no biggie."
He facepalmed and I could tell he was already regretting changing places with me.
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Later that same evening, Y/B/N and I were making the most of the training grounds that Prince Arthur was letting the contestants use for the week. To everyone else, I was merely practicing with him, but to us, he was actually helping me practice. 
For the third time in five minutes, I knocked Y/B/N on his butt and laughed at the expression on his face.
"C'mon, at least give me some sort of challenge," I teased, holding out my hand for him.
He let me help him up as he gave me a knowing look. "Don't be too good or people will suspect."
I scoffed. "Nobody will think twice about me."
"Oh yeah, because you're so inconspicuous dressed like that," he said sarcastically.
I ignored him, though I knew he was only looking out for me. Ladies wore frocks and dresses, not pants and shirts. But I didn't like to be restricted – why was that such a bad thing? I hated that I had to put myself in a box just to make others feel comfortable. It wasn't fair.
"Are you ready?" I asked, readying my sword.
He nodded and did the same before coming at me without warning. I held my own well enough, even with him giving his all, and with the utmost satisfaction, I managed to land him on his butt yet again. He narrowed his eyes at me and I began to laugh before pissing him off that little bit more by twiddling the hilt of my sword on my forefinger in the air, watching it spin before catching it. It was a silly little celebratory move I liked to do, one that Y/B/N hated because it usually meant I had beaten him.
Grumbling to himself, Y/B/N helped himself stand up as I watched on with amusement.
"Impressive."
Surprised, I turned around and definitely didn't expect to see the Lady Morgana approaching us.
"You're almost as good as your brother," she commented, looking at me.
Smile fading slightly, I tried not to draw anymore attention to myself. "Something like that."
She lifted a brow curiously. "It's a shame you couldn't compete. You're better than half the men in this competition."
"It's just how it is, my lady. The King's rules," I said, though I was secretly smiling because she thought I was good. As me, the real me, not my brother.
"If it were up to me, I'd have loved to watch you fight," she said, making me smile to myself. I risked glancing at her and saw she was watching me with her own smile, before looking to my brother.
"Good luck tomorrow," she said to him considerately.
"Thank you, my lady," Y/B/N said, bowing.
She nodded her head at him before catching my staring, offering a smile, then leaving.
"Gosh, she's so pretty," I said, unable to look away from her.
"Not here, not now," Y/B/N said in a warning tone before slapping me on the back.
"I'm gonna win just to see her smile," I decided, finally looking away from her retreating figure.
Y/B/N rolled his eyes, shaking his head with disbelief. I raised an eyebrow challengingly.
"Another round?"
"No way," he said immediately, making me laugh as I watched him walk away.
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"Like you always do," I whispered to myself as I stood face to face with my next opponent. "Come on."
My opponent carried a sword and shield and was very good with both, as I'd seen him using it these past few days. Probably the first real challenge I had, I was a little nervous, but one look at my sword reminded me why I was here and what I was capable of. I wasn't going to let this man throw me off.
As we fought, I quickly realised he wasn't going to tire out easily. As quick as he was skilful, he dodged all of my slashes, blocked all of my stabs and avoided all of my feigned shots. He was too good, keeping me on my toes. I was growing tired as the minutes dragged on and he knew this, using it as his opportunity to slam his shield against me, knocking me back. I tuned out the audience's reactions, shaking my head to get back into it.
I let him believe he was going in for a strike before rolling out the way and slashing the back of his legs. He groaned as he spun around, blocking my next hit. This seemed to piss him off as he came at me quick and hard, striking every second and driving me further and further backwards. One sturdy hit with his shield and I was on my back. Just as he tried to strike me, I rolled out the way and stood up, putting some distance between us.
Collecting myself, I saw that he pulled his shield over him once more and knew I needed to use that to my advantage. He wasn't going to let it go, no matter how hard I hit it. And I was already growing tired, my body battered and bruised, my energy depleting. If he kept going like this, he'd surely win. And I couldn't let him.
A stupid idea came to my head and I figured it was worth a shot if I was already losing. Why not?
Running directly at my opponent, I watched as he tucked in, shield up and ready to block my hit. Just when he was about to shove it towards me, I used the momentum to jump on it, over his head and hitting the ground, just about. I was so shocked it worked that I almost forgot to use his own surprise to my advantage. Without wasting a second, I spun around and smacked the hilt of my sword at the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. Worried I'd hit him too hard, I kneeled down to listen in.
When he let out a breath, I sighed with relief and stood up, eyes closing for a moment. Then the stands shook as everyone stood up, cheering and yelling and clapping, and I opened my eyes with a smile. As I waved my sword hand in the air, bowing, the cheering only intensified and I couldn't stop grinning. Admittedly, the thrill of it all got to my head and I began to show off, waving to the crowd on all sides. Just because I could, I twiddled my sword on the tip of my gloved forefinger in the air and threw it up before catching it by the hilt. The crowd seemed to love it and a grin was permanently fixed on my face as I left the grounds to return to my tent.
"That's the loudest I've ever heard them," Y/B/N said as soon as he saw me. "What did you do?"
"Whatever I could," I said between a laugh, before pulling off my helmet. "Get me out of this, I'm so hot."
He chuckled and helped me out of it, and I helped him into it as usual. Giving him his sword and helmet, I sent him off before taking a deep breath and drinking lots of water. My body was aching and there were definitely bruises all along my legs and chest, but I didn't care because that was insane. How the hell did I manage that?! Whatever it was, it was incredible and I couldn't wait to do it again in my next fight.
Y/B/N returned after soaking in the glory, pulling off the armour and ready to help me pack it all away, but to both of our surprises, Prince Arthur walked in the tent.
"Hello," he greeted awkwardly, before looking to Y/B/N. "You fought excellently today. I wanted to ask if you'd have a word with me outside."
I hid my smile as my brother nodded, exchanging glances with me before following after the prince. Prince Arthur was impressed by me? No way. There was no way! I'd have to fight him soon enough, since he was also competing, but who cared? He was impressed!
I tried to contain my excitement as I went about packing away my armour, stuck in my own daydream land. So much, in fact, that I didn't hear anybody enter the tent behind me.
"It's you!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a familiar voice came out of nowhere. Spinning around, I was surprised to see the Lady Morgana standing there with a shocked smile on her face.
"Huh?"
She licked her lips, stepping fully inside the tent and glancing behind her, before looking to me. Lowering her voice, she said, "It's you. The fighting out there. It's not your brother, it's you."
When I finally managed to stop getting distracted by her pretty smile and listened to what she was saying, my own smile faded.
Swallowing hard, I played dumb. "What? That's crazy."
I tried to busy myself with packing my bag whilst also panicking inside, but she kept going with it.
"The sword trick at the end," she stated with confidence. "Where you twirl it on your finger. You did the same thing when you beat your brother yesterday. It's you, isn't?"
I closed my eyes, cursing myself at my stupidity. The damned sword trick. Why did I have to let my cockiness get the better of me?
"Maybe," I admitted, turning to face her, and she smiled to herself.
"I bloody knew it! Well– okay, maybe I didn't, but it makes sense," she said. "Your brother acts like a completely different person out on the grounds compared to when he's literally anywhere else. Because it's not him."
I stayed quiet, both embarrassed that I'd been caught out and nervous to what it meant for me.
"Wait," she realised, pausing, and I could practically see her brain working everything out. Green eyes met mine as she asked, "The flower. Blowing me the kiss. That was... that was you?"
If only the earth could swallow me up there and then.
"I was committing to the role...?" I said dumbly, making me her chuckle. Beginning to panic even more now, I said, "Look, if I'm in trouble, please don't punish Y/B/N. He didn't even want to do this, but I made him. It was the only way I could compete. I just wanted to see how far I could get."
She furrowed her brows, a confused smile on her face. "Y/N, you're not in trouble."
I blinked, taken aback. "I'm not in... huh?"
"I won't tell a soul," she promised, expression softening. "Keep doing what you're doing. You've single-handedly impressed every member of the court, all the knights, the prince and the King himself. You're amazing, Y/N."
At her words, I began to smile, feeling a sense of pride take over. "Why are you doing this?"
She shrugged, playing coy. "Maybe it's women sticking together. Maybe it's because I enjoy watching you fight. Or maybe I don't want to see you getting punished for being such a good fighter."
I sighed quietly, a sense of relief spreading through me. "Whatever it is, thank you, my lady. Truly."
"It's Morgana," she corrected, eyes flickering between mine.
I pursed my lips to stop my smile from widening, and then she stepped forward and kissed my cheek, making me freeze at the contact.
"And thank you for the flower," she whispered in my ear, before stepping back.
My mouth went dry as I watched her red lips curled into a smile before she left the tent. I was certain I was as red as her lipstick, my heart racing in my chest. A grin soon formed on my lips and I couldn't stop.
Moments later, Y/B/N returned and seemed surprised with his chat with Prince Arthur, but I was too distracted thinking about Morgana, my cheek still tingling from her touch.
"The prince wanted to personally congratulate me on my progress thus far," Y/B/N shared. "He hopes to see me make it to the finals so he can see what I'm all about up close."
His words went in one ear and out the other. Did Morgana always smell of jasmine, I wondered?
"Seriously? I thought you'd be dying to know more," Y/B/N said with suspicion.
"What?" I finally tuned back in, kind of. "Yeah, that's great, Y/B/N."
He studied me curiously. "I just saw the Lady Morgana leave here. What did she want?"
"Huh?" I asked, half listening.
"Y/N!" he said, startling me.
Finally, his words settled and I answered, "She just wanted to compliment how great you did today."
"How kind," he said, not believing me.
I couldn't tell him that she actually knew the truth – he'd get cold feet and back out of the competition, and then I'd never get to prove myself. Besides, Morgana said she wouldn't tell anyone, so we were still good to go. What Y/B/N didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
"Wait," I said, finally acknowledging what he said earlier. "What did Prince Arthur say about me?"
Y/B/N groaned dramatically and grabbed the bag of armour, ignoring me. I was forced to chase after him, doing his head in about everything the prince said.
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Imagine crashing in Arthur's chambers after some tavern drinks...
There was a knock on the wooden door followed by a pause and then another slow knock. Arthur groaned at the noise as it interrupted his peaceful state of mind. 
Who was at his chambers so deep into the night? 
Sighing, the young prince pulled the covers off and sat up to swing his legs over the edge before taking a stand. Rubbing his face gently with a yawn, Arthur trudged over to his door. Firmly gripping the handle, he propped it open to take a look at his visitor.
Unsurprisingly, the night owl turned out to be his dear friend who was a sporting a lopsided smile. 
“Y/n?” He frowned curiously. What were you doing here at this hour? 
You placed a finger over your lips and hushed him dramatically. 
“Be quiet or the walls will hear you.” You urged.
Arthur rest his head against the door panel and closed his eyes. “You went to the tavern, didn’t you?” 
“I drank fun!” You beamed loudly, completely disregarding your previous instruction. 
Arthur widened the doorway to let you in and you accepted the invitation. Your footsteps uneven and showed clear signs of mead consumption. Closing the door behind him, Arthur started to feel more awake as he followed you through the chamber.
“Is this any hour to be drunk especially when we have the tournament ceremony tomorrow?” He asked.
You ignored him, laughing to yourself as you poked at the armour on his table. Then you took him by surprise and gasped, pointing a finger at him. 
“Are you a knight?” 
Arthur rolled his eyes and heaved another exasperated sigh. 
“Alright, you’re clearly intoxicated.” He said and walked over to the cabinet standing against the wall opposite his bed. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a blanket. Bringing it over to the side of his own bed, Arthur laid the soft fabric on the floor and pulled some of his pillows from his bed top to the ground, creating a makeshift bed. 
He went back to you and gently guided you over as you spoke nonsensically. 
“You’re a knight. Maybe I'm a knight? I could be a knight in the night." 
“You already are.” Arthur reminded softly as you took a seat on the blanket.
You chuckled to yourself and laid back to rest your head on the pillow. “I’m a knight.”
Arthur pulled the top blanket from his bed and draped it over your shoulders. The comfort you were cocooned in quickly caused your eyelids to drop and, before you knew it, you were fast asleep.
Arthur smiled to himself and then climbed into his own bed, returning to his own calming dreams.
Part 1 | Part 2
~ More imagines here ~
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Can I have “I can’t sleep, can I sleep here?” with Merlin? Soft cuddles with baby boy in his tiny af bed. Thank you!!!
Sure! Hope you enjoy!💖
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Sleepless Nights and Magical Moments
You can't sleep and end up going to Merlin. He has just the cure for you.
#244 “I can’t sleep, can I sleep here?”
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It was one of those nights that everything seemed to make you on edge. The creaking of the house, the sounds of people outside through the open windows, and the occasional blowing of wind caused your mind to be wide awake.
You were staying with Gaius in Camelot, training under him as a physician like Merlin. However, aforementioned man was here before you, so he got the room and tiny bed all to himself. Which you would rather prefer right now because the proximity you had to the front door was starting to freak you out.
Not to mention, Gauis made you read a book on venomous creatures before bed, not all of them appealing to look at.
So, needless to say, you needed some comfort and a distraction. You needed it right now.
"Merlin? Are you awake?" Your voice was hushed as you knocked on the door to his room. A few moments passed by before it opened with a slight squeak.
You were greeted with a tired-looking Merlin, with hair every which way.
"I am now...what's wrong?" He asked while rubbing at his eye with the sleeve of his shirt. You looked back to make sure Gauis was still asleep before looking back at him.
“I can’t sleep, can I sleep here?” You said shyly, pulling at your own clothes. Normally, it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but you guys sort of had a thing going. It was undefined, but more than friends was definitely part of the deal.
Still, he went red in the face, looking from you to back at his tiny bed.
"I think I can make space." Merlin said with that typical smile and little laugh. You thanked him as he moved to allow you into his room.
The transition happened quickly with him climbing back into bed so you could curl up with him. His bed was tiny, barely room for him. So, you were practically on top of Merlin as he had an arm around your shoulders to keep you from falling. Both of you were hesitant and shy, and you could hear how fast his heart was beating as your head lay on his chest just below his chin.
"So...you had a nightmare?" He asked, and you could feel his gentle breath on the top of your head when he spook.
You shuffled a little closer to him, feeling yourself sliding.
"Sort of. I just couldn't sleep...just felt on edge." You tried to explain, moving your hand to his chest as well. Merlin shifted slightly to give you more room.
"It's okay...I'm just fine where I am." You said to him, face red.
"Oh...I'm glad." Merlin stuttered with his words, but he eventually was able to express that he was happy to have you so close to him. In fact, the gentle cuddles he was getting here was something he didn't know he needed.
"Are you feeling better?" Merlin asked, wondering if you'd be able to sleep now.
"Here with you? I think I'll be just fine." You told him before burying your head in the crook of his neck. The poor boy stopped breathing for a second, but your words gave confidence.
His hand soon found your back and he rubbed it gently. For some reason, there was a warmth emanating from it that lulled you to sleep.
It was magical.
You soon found yourself falling asleep in the crook of his embrace. That tiny bed holding you both throughout the night as Merlin himself found peace from your presence. You may not know it now, but he helped you more than ever.
When morning came, Merlin was glad to see that his magic gave you a nightmare free night.
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Text
I rewatched Kingsman because it’s a DILF movie and y’all can’t change my mind.Colin Firth and Mark Strong had zero reasons to be that attractive.This has been in sitting in my drafts for a long while and I hope y’all enjoy this!
You’re the newest addition to Kingsman who joined a year or two ago so you know the other agents well but the ones you got along the most were Agent Galahad and Merlin.
You work well with the both of them and gone with them for numerous missions(separately).
It wasn’t hard to crush on the both of them considering how wonderful the both of them are with the bonus of how easy on the eyes they were(looking respectfully,of course).
With it being a serious workplace environment and the both of them probably seeing you nothing more than as a co-worker or newbie,you knew nothing more would come out of it and was content with the way things were.
So when Arthur needed all three of you to go on a mission together,it was a bit of a shocker.
You know that Galahad and Merlin worked together for years and are the best at what they do.So with you still being relatively new,this mission made you nervous and it doesn’t help you admire the both of them immensely.
You guys would be undercover at a gala at some rich asshole’s mansion and would need to find some important documents.
The mission required you to be in close proximity to each other due to whatever reasons.Sounds difficult when you don’t want to be suspicious,right?
The solution?You will go undercover as a sugar baby and the other two as your sugar daddies.
Since they’re both gentlemen,they would discuss if you’re okay with doing what’s needed to convince people of your roles.
The amount of endearing nicknames they would call you and the amount of touching just honestly makes me blush.
(Not me imaging having to sit on one of their laps as they’re whispering in your ear the plan and the other leaning down to kiss your neck to be able inconspicuously listen and breathlessly whispering back down your neck. . .I’m not fine)
BONUS
You guys are about to get caught in a room that you guys definitely shouldn’t be in.What makes people more uncomfortable than to see public display of physical affection especially when it seems a bit too physical.
Good thing Merlin and Galahad are really good actors.At least,you think they were acting,right?
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ivy
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Prompt - ‘Taking mine, but it's been promised to another.’
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From the start your marriage had been nothing but a sham, a performance put on for the world to see. Vows that promised a lifetime of faith and love slipped from your lips, the lies pleasing those who heard it whilst turning you cold. It was all a lie, a marriage arranged before you had been born, it was what you were born for.
It didn’t matter that you were a Princess, it didn’t matter that you knew how to rule a kingdom, knew that you could lead your people. Nothing mattered except making sure the Prince looked the part. You weren’t needed for your mind, you were simply an accessory, somebody to stand by the prince. One day he would be a great King, everybody told you as much and you could only smile politely and nod whilst desperately trying to ignore how empty you felt.
And you did feel empty. You were far too good to spend your days standing beside the future King. It wasn’t that Arthur was terrible or cruel, as arranged marriages went you knew you had gotten lucky with him. He was kind if not a little bit arrogant but he was loyal and brave, willing to die for those he held dearest to him. You truly did believe he would be a great King, far better than Uther at any rate, you just wished you could be something more than simply the Prince’s wife.
Arthur treated your marriage as though it was a real one, which it was for all intents and purposes except for the fact that you didn’t love Arthur. The two of you shared a bed, spent your days side by side, he kissed your cheeks and held your hand in public. The kingdom adored the pair of you together. Arthur was happy and you woke up each morning feeling another piece of you wilt away into nothing.
You supposed it wasn’t all bad. Sure you had been moved from your own kingdom, losing everything you had known but you had gained something from it. One saving grace, one good thing that kept you from drowning and losing yourself.
It was wrong, terribly wrong. If the people, if Arthur or Uther found out you hated to think of what kind of punishment would be brought down on you. But yet you couldn’t resist, not when it was the only good thing you had to hold close.
Merlin.
You didn’t even remember fully how it came to be but from the moment Arthur introduced his servant to you you couldn’t help but smile wider, watching as he stuttered a greeting out before averting his eyes causing you to giggle as Arthur told you to just ignore the idiot.
Merlin spent almost as much time at Arthur’s side as you did, which meant he spent most of his time with you. Whilst Arthur occupied himself with royal duties you turned to Merlin and spoke quietly amongst yourself, Merlin still a stuttering, flustered mess but you couldn’t help but find it endearing. You yourself weren’t much better, biting back smiles and giggling softly like a small child with her first crush.
Months passed where nothing happened between the two of you but you could feel your feelings grow for Merlin as each day passed. What started as a slight infatuation turned into something more real, it wasn’t love but you thought that under different circumstances, in another life maybe it could have been.
The slightest touches from Merlin seemed to transform the emptiness and loneliness you felt surrounded by the royals, the brush of his fingers against your back as he passed, the way he stood slightly closer to you during events. All of the little touches, the stolen glances, all of it made everything better, even if they were tarnished when you were reminded that Merlin could never be yours.
One day everything became too overwhelming, you felt like you were choking on the expectations people had of you and excused yourself from Arthur’s presence before you were due to sit in with the King. Arthur’s concerned glances did nothing to help how tormented you were feeling and when he asked if he could do anything you shook your head, telling him you’d seek out Gaius.
You waited only long enough for him to enter the room before heading the opposite direction from Gaius’ chambers. You walked for long enough that your feet hurt but it did you good, the fresh air and being away from the palace helping you to clear your mind. You had no idea where you’d walked to but stopped when you came across a large tree.
The trunk stretched high in the air, wisteria growing from the branches, spreading off into all different directions before draping downwards and offering shade. There was a lake not too far in front of the tree, the purple flowers reflected in the clear water. It was a beautiful picture, the tree standing out against the greens of the others, and you couldn’t think of a better place to sit with your loneliness.
You sat down softly, letting your back rest against the thick trunk as your thoughts began to wander, your fingers pulling at the blades of grass beneath you as they did. You knew you were lucky, knew most women would kill to marry the Prince, to have a life of riches, to never have to worry or want for anything. You knew that as a result of your marriage your people back home were looked after and yet you couldn’t help but hate it.
Sitting here it felt like you were nothing more than a ghost of yourself, grieving for your loss, grieving for a life that could have been beautiful and happy. Now the only happiness you had in your days was stolen moments with Merlin.
It wasn’t even like you could tell anyone how you were feeling, nobody would understand, not able to look beyond the life of a Princess. They all saw what they were meant to see, a Prince and Princess in love who would one day rule the kingdom of Camelot. Even the thought of you and Arthur not loving each other, of you hating your life in the castle walls would seem unfathomable.
You had no idea how long you sat against the tree for, staring out into the water but eventually you were startled out of your thoughts when you heard leaves crunching nearby. You stayed silent, hoping it was just an animal and you hadn’t wandered out far enough for any bandits to be skulking around.
Your heartbeat seemed to speed up when you saw a familiar figure emerge from the trees and you couldn’t stop the pull of your lips into a small grin.
“Wasn’t sure if you’d want company.” Merlin said by way of greeting, a smile mirrored back as he came close and sat down next to you, close enough that your shoulders brushed as he set a basket down in front of you. “But I brought you some food.”
“Thank you.” You said softly, keeping your eyes on him instead of the food. “You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to. Arthur said you weren’t feeling well but when I asked Gaius he said you hadn’t been by, don’t worry though I told him that if Arthur asked to say you had. Is everything ok?” Merlin asked as he pulled some fruit out of the basket and set it on the blanket he had been carrying.
You stayed silent, not knowing how to answer that question without lying. You didn’t want to lie to Merlin but you could hardly tell him the truth, though you longed to but he was Arthur’s servant, it wouldn’t be fair to put him in a position of keeping secrets for you.
Merlin turned to face you when you didn’t answer, seeing the sad look that you frequently wore when surrounded by Arthur and the other royals. Merlin hated to see that look, it hurt his heart each time he did but what could he do? He couldn’t give you the life you deserved, you were a Princess, the future Queen of Camelot, Merlin was always going to be beneath you.
He knew Arthur’s marriage to you was nothing more than an agreement between two kingdoms, a way to keep trade and peace for another generation. He hated that to meet you you had to marry another, Merlin knew your mind, it was brilliant and it was going to waste at Arthur’s side.
Merlin wasn’t a selfish man. He’d do anything to help Arthur, he’d give his life for the other man every chance he got if it meant Arthur would be safe. Merlin wasn’t selfish but he longed for you, he wanted every part of you for himself. For months he had watched you, pined for you and you were so close and yet he could never quite reach you.
You don’t know where the sudden stinging of tears came from, one second you were keeping your emotions tightly locked up and the next a single tear escaped your eye and slid down your cheek. Maybe it was the soft sympathetic way Merlin was looking at you, like he knew how much weight was on your shoulders, forcing you under until you couldn’t breathe or maybe it was just finally too much for you to handle.
Merlin felt his heartbreak for you when he noticed the tear and reached out a hand to take yours gently, his fingers entwined with yours and his thumb brushed against your skin. He knew he shouldn’t have enjoyed the feeling of your hand in his as much as he did but he still let himself savour the feeling, not knowing when or if he’d get the chance again.
Your eyes were immediately drawn down to your hands before you scrunched your eyes shut to keep the tears at bay. Merlin’s hands were cold in yours but the touch seemed to ignite a fire within you. It was wrong to want Merlin so badly, your life already promised to Arthur and yet here Merlin was, so deeply embedded in your every thought, haunting your dreams and your waking hours.
You both wanted more, the simple touch of your hands waking the flame of wanting that was too loud to ignore. Merlin swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat, desperate to do something more, to steal one more moment of you for himself, consequences be damned. You pleaded to any greater being that would listen, begging for Merlin to do anything, to give into what you both wanted.
You tore your gaze from your joined hands and looked to Merlin, his pupils so wide you could barely see the ring of blue around it. Merlin’s eyes were drawn to your lips, watching as your tongue poked out to wet them and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning in towards you.
He paused when his face was close enough that you could feel his breath against your face, waiting to see if you would pull away but you didn’t move away. You’d waited for so long, dreamt about what it would be like to finally give into temptation, to be selfish for once and not put your people or your duties above yourself.
Merlin’s free hand came up to lightly cup your cheek, his thumb brushing against your skin as he tilted your face upwards slightly. You were sure he could hear your heart threatening to beat right out of your chest as you waited for him to close the distance between you.
Merlin didn’t second guess himself, didn’t give himself a chance to overthink what a terrible idea this would be. You were the Princess, the future Queen of Camelot and he was just a servant, a servant who was already hiding a secret that would get him killed so what was one more secret and what a secret it would be having felt your lips against his.
He couldn’t wait any longer, had waited long enough. He didn’t rush when he pressed his lips to yours, practically shuddering into the kiss as he felt a thrill of sparks shoot through him. His hand still on your cheek pulled you closer and you followed without hesitation.
This kiss wasn’t hurried, it was soft and filled with longing but it didn’t stay that way for long. After a few moments the kiss turned greedy, both of you suddenly desperate for more, more, more. It had been months, bordering on a year of secret glances and quiet pining and now you finally had each other.
Merlin’s hands slid into your hair and you moaned into the kiss as his fist closed around the strands whilst your hands ended up on Merlin’s chest, smoothing your palms against him. Merlin tugged you into his lap without breaking the kiss and you let him guide you onto him, moaning softly into the kiss and unable to help yourself from grinding down onto him.
Everything from that moment on was a hurried mess of limbs, the pair of you exploring every inch of each other. Merlin’s hands running up and down your body, touching what should have been Arthur’s. You knew you could never go back to the pining, the longing stares, you may have promised yourself to Arthur but you would always be Merlin’s.
From that day on you and Merlin made a choice, one that if anybody found out would see you both facing severe punishments but the risk was worth it for the stolen moments alone with each other. It was intoxicating, sneaking out of the castle and hiding away with Merlin, being able to hold his hand, to kiss him, to have him hold you as the hours passed by.
It was hard coming back to the castle, to sit for a court session, Arthur’s hand in yours whilst your eyes caught Merlin and the two of you shared smiles and held silent conversations from across the room. When it was just the three of you in Arthur’s chambers, Merlin pottering about as Arthur sat beside you, talking about something you couldn’t focus on because you’d rather be anywhere else with Merlin.
It went on for months, the sneaking around and it was the first time since your marriage, since you arrived in Camelot, that you felt truly alive, that you weren’t just waking up to a miserable life, you finally had something to look forward to. Even if you and Merlin couldn’t get out of the castle, just seeing those blue eyes looking back at you was enough.
You did wonder why Merlin seemed so eager to be in this relationship, cursed to have it hidden from the world, cursed to never be able to live the lives you wanted because of your marriage to Arthur. You never broached the topic with him though, you never wanted to discuss the matter when you were alone with Merlin, more than content and more than distracted by the man’s presence to even think of Arthur.
Merlin had been away with Arthur for three days and you missed him greatly. Guinevere had come by Arthur’s chambers plenty of times during those few days, chattering about how she was sure you were missing Arthur’s company. You let her talk though, not daring to tell her you hadn’t thought of your husband once since he’d left for his hunting trip, instead your thoughts had been filled with opal eyes and secret meetings.
When they returned it was almost night fall and Merlin prepared a late meal for Arthur not long after. You were practically itching to get a moment alone with Merlin after not seeing him for days and whilst Arthur was occupied with his food you moved around the room, brushing past Merlin.
“Meet me at our spot in an hour.” You whispered softly, the words only for him to hear and as you moved away you looked behind you to see him smiling ahead and he nodded without looking at you.
Arthur was eager to get to bed after eating and dismissed Merlin who left the room with only one glance back over his shoulder at you. The minutes ticked by and you lay still under you felt Arthur relax completely, his breathing evening out. You didn’t move straight away, not wanting to wake him and having to come up with an excuse as to what you were doing.
You left it for twenty more minutes before climbing out of the bed as silently as possible and slipping into a pair of shoes, not bothering to change and only slipping a cloak over your night clothes. You weren’t planning on running into anybody but Merlin anyway.
There were plenty of guards on duty and you only had the soft glow of the moon to aid you in moving around when the coast was clear. The spring air was cool when you finally snuck your way out of the castle, heading down the old familiar path towards the lake that had quickly become yours and Merlin’s spot.
Merlin was already waiting for you and you wasted no time falling into his arms, letting him pull you in for a hurried kiss, your arms around his waist, his hands cupping your cheeks. You whispered a soft greeting against his lips and watched a smile spread across his face as the two of you lay on the blanket Merlin had brought with him.
It was a quiet night, the occasional rustling of the leaves, an animal moving well off in the distance could be heard. The sky was clear and littered with stars, each reflecting from the lake in front of you. The wisteria tree was bright against the moonlight, in full bloom in the spring weather.
It was peaceful. You wished you could have these moments with Merlin all the time, wished you didn't have to sneak around for them. You let your thoughts wander, dreaming of a life with Merlin far away from Camelot, from the pressures of royal life and all the expectations that came with it.
“Some days I just wish I could run away, you know?” You said softly, not lifting your head from Merlin’s chest. You felt his fingers pause in your hair for a second before they continued brushing through the strands. “My marriage was planned before I was even born, real love has never been something I thought I could have so I never even dared to let myself dream about it.”
“Would you run away?” Merlin asked and you frowned because your initial answer was yes, of course you would in a heartbeat but deep down…
“I don’t know.” You sighed. “I dream about it all the time, about leaving behind everything I’ve ever known but then I think about how much my people would suffer.”
Merlin stayed silent for a long moment, the two of you content with the quiet as your thoughts ran wild. You pondered over if you would run away if Merlin asked, would you let yourself be selfish? You thought you could and didn’t know how to feel about it. You knew Merlin wouldn’t ask though, he wouldn’t put you in such a position where you’d have to make that decision and truthfully you weren’t sure Merlin would ever leave.
Despite everything happening between the two of you, despite the fact you were both sneaking around behind Arthur’s back, Merlin was still fiercely loyal to Arthur. Whenever you asked about it Merlin just shrugged and got a far away look on his face before telling you that he was sure Arthur would be a great King one day and he believed in the future Arthur would bring.
Plenty of people had said it to you over the year you’d been at Arthur’s side and you knew that most people just said it because it was the polite thing to say, the right thing to say about their future King. When Merlin said it though you truly believed it, you could see how much he believed it, how much he believed in Arthur. It was like he had seen the future Arthur would bring to Camelot, so convinced in whatever Arthur was going to do.
It made you feel torn, Merlin was obviously so loyal to Arthur and yet this relationship threatened theirs. It wasn’t that you and Arthur loved each other but he was your husband and both of you knew the importance of appearance both publicly and behind closed doors. As future heir to the throne Arthur couldn’t have a wife only to show off publicly, he needed a wife that was only his all the time.
You wished things had been different for both of you, that you could be free to love Merlin and that Arthur had the chance to find somebody he truly loved, who would proudly stand by his side bursting with how much love they had for him. You both deserved more than you had but these were the cards you’d been dealt and you had to live with them.
You had Merlin in the only way you could and you couldn’t give that up, you’d be damned before you willingly left him.
“You said real love.” Merlin suddenly said, his voice soft, barely above a whisper but you heard him clearly. “Is that what this is, real love?”
You froze for a moment, not realising your earlier words but seconds later you relaxed against him before moving around so you were face to face with him and you could see the smile on his face.
“Yes, I’d like to say so anyway.” You said whilst matching the quietness of his voice.
Merlin’s hand came up to brush your cheek before he pulled you close to him, him meeting you halfway, pausing before your lips could meet.
“I love you too, Y/N. I wish I had more to offer you but-” Merlin told you but you cut him off with a gentle kiss.
“You’ve given me more than I could ever have hoped for, Merlin.” You whispered, pulling back far enough to look up at him and he could see the sincerity in your eyes. “I thought for so long that my destiny was to just be lonely. Before you I was wandering the halls of that castle like a ghost, mourning a life that would never be, then you kissed me and I fell in love with you and everything was different, better. No matter how much we wish it could change, it’s worth it to be with you because I love you.”
“One day things will be different.” Merlin promised before pulling you into another kiss and you prayed he was right but for now, now these moments were enough, this love was enough.
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Merlin Taglist (Click the link in my bio to add yourself!) -
@nomajdetective​, @black-rose-29​, @kodiakwhiskey​, @alexxavicry​, @instabull​, @hydeonysus​ @writeroutoftime​, @polyglot-noodle​, @bookfrog242​, @nashja​, @deathjawd​, @myeyesandheartadjust​, @lazyxsquirrel​
Thank you so much for reading!🤎
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bowieandqueen11 · 1 year
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Rosy Cheeks / Gwaine Imagine
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Request: MERLIN!!!! I would DIE if you did a Merlin drabble/imagine etc. Gwaine has been the loml since I was 10 and would LOVE something to do with a headstrong maid or tavern barmaid reader and him. Like he is so flirtatious and she doesn't think he's being genuine until Gwen points out the way he talks/looks at her. FLUFF GALORE. This request is 100% self-indulgent but I couldn't resist! Your writing is so lovely and I love that you cover so many fandoms. Do what you want with this, sending good vibes :)
I literally cannot believe I haven’t written for Merlin before I think I cried for about three months after the finale aired Christmas Eve ahh but thank you lovely that’s very kind! <3
Clocking in at nearly 4,100 words, this is the longest oneshot I’ve ever written, and I’m knackered! So please, if you like this, do let me know as this took me a solid 3 days to write! 
(I do not own Merlin or its characters, all rights go to creators. Gif credit goes to @babinicz.)
☆.。.:*・°☆.。.:*・°
You would know the light tread of Gwaine’s footsteps even in the darkest of dungeons. It was familiar, comforting, and most of the time most welcomed from your best friend, but also incredibly infuriating.
It had already been a long enough day: your boss had started to become distinctly unimpressed by the sight Gwaine gracing his doorway and taking your attention away from serving the drinks until far into the night at every opportunity he could find. Between the large crowd of travellers who had nestled their way into the long tables, spilling their drinks on the lone romantics and starting brawls with the for-hire thugs, sweat was already beginning to cloud your vision. It didn’t help that it had been a warm spring day outside; the verdant fields of Camelot blooming to life with fresh grain and wildflowers cropping their borders rolled past your vision every time you went to stoke the already pounding fire at the left edge of the building. 
Wiping your forehead with the front of your apron, you blow out a sigh as you collect the next round of empty, splattered bowls and chipping mugs, and head back towards the counter, counting down the minutes until Gwen arrives and you can finally roll into bed for some much needed sleep. It doesn’t take very long for all your hopes to be dashed, as the phantom pursuing you like immortal love appears within your line of vision.
‘What’s a pretty maiden like you doing in a dank place like this?’
The face of Gwaine peers over the edge of the tavern’s chipped table like an eager chipmunk: all bright smiles, rosy red cheeks, and a mischievous glint in his eye as he stares straight at you. The crimson tint of his tilted head, as red as a cardinal and twice as beautiful, alludes you to the fact that he had probably already spent half the night in romantic pursuit of various poor patrons at the tavern. The slight pant in his breathe as he spoke clocked you to the fact that it was he you had heard pacing around the tavern, scheming up some new hairbrained joke to swat your way. The droplets of ale he wipes from his stubble with the back of his glove clues you in to the fact that he’s been here, watching you, for a while, waiting for the perfect time to strike when you were most busiest, and, of course, when the tavern owner was watching you with a scowl from the barrels.
Little did you know, in fact, that Gwaine hadn’t quite been wasting the night away waiting for the right moment to strike. He had been pacing with his mug by the doorway: half of him fiddling with the rose he has bought off the old lady outside, preparing himself to finally muster his usual courage and give it to you, and the other half preparing to run back to Camelot and go hide in the armoury till the end of time. He had heard an avalanche of pillows being thrown behind Arthur’s door as he had walked past the corridor earlier, and the familiar sound of Merlin’s wincing cry of  exasperation as he apparently dropped the King’s breakfast on the floor, so he was sure his dear friend would join him in hiding away in the crevices of the castle. Gwen could smuggle them food up from the kitchens, and he’d make Percival keep watch out the door to make sure you would never catch sight of how reticently self-conscious you made the usually so blatant knight.
Yet most of all, Gwaine had spent most of his time shaking his head with a breaking grin, strutting up and down and up and down the entrance and getting in everyone’s way. It was only when Gwen decided to stop in during her daily visit to walk with you back home after your shift, that she finally managed to grab his arm and pull him away from the growing mob of irritated and drunk carousers.
You thump the empty mugs down by his left elbow, grinning as a few drops slosh out and drip over his arm. ‘Gwaine, with all my heart I love you, but if you’re in need of someone to annoy I’m sure Sir Leon has finished with target practice by now.’ Sighing, you lean over him to grab a rag from behind the counter, ignoring the muffled shouts of patrons and wolf whistles to grab your attention.
He seems to flush at your words, shaking his head until his hair splays out over his forehead like a warm dawn’s soft and curling mist. He looks down at his feet, then back to peer at you from behind the safety of his fringe, his eyes burning just as fervently as the gold light of daybreak. It takes him a moment to fall out of his love-struck stupor. In mock offence, he raises a hand and grabs his heart, taking a false stagger back on his heels. He prays you can’t see how fast said heart is pounding in foolish, all encompassing, body devastating, stricken hope. ‘How your words wound me, Y/n! Besides, Leon smells like old goat instead of daffodils and mead. Also... I may owe him a few gold shillings.’
You turn to him with an incredulous look. ‘A few, again!? Already?’ Gwaine just shrugs, and smiles all the brighter as he notices you becoming enticed by his shenanigans. If he could just keep you by him for a few moments longer, perhaps he would find the strength to stop stroking the petals between his gloved fingers and hold it out to you like a proper ‘knight in shining armour trying to woo his true love’ would. ‘I may have said that I could win in a sword fight against Arthur - and I nearly did! If only his trousers hadn’t magically fallen down in the middle of it.’
You press the back of your hand to your nose to try and hide your snort, and Gwaine laughs pleasurably at the sweet sound. Waving away an obviously intoxicated customer who was now slamming his glass up and down on the counter to try and get your attention, you turn away from your now seething boss to look at the blithe knight resting beside you. ‘There is no way that happened. Even I would have heard news of that by now. News seems to travel faster than the crow flies in Camelot.’
Picking up your rag, you turn to move away from the man, but a gentle hand encircles your wrist before you can even take a step. ‘No, please’, he starts with a hitch in his throat. ‘Please don’t go yet. I haven’t finished my tale! Besides... it ends with me fighting a dragon, and being declared the true king of all fair maiden’s hearts by a wizard.’ With a tilted head watching your exasperated feelings flash across your face like zings of magic, Gwaine begins to chuckle through his words. His earthen eyes are dream-like as they trace the outline of your eyes, then the dip of your nose, and further to the bottom curve of your lip, as if you were the brightest beauties of all the heavens rolled into one being.
‘You promise you’re telling me the truth’, you ask, rolling your eyes while trying to hold back your own laughter.
Gwaine unintentionally drags his teeth over his bottom lip as he raises his head up again, wetting the edge of his mouth with a final slight lick of his tongue. His gaze drops for a moment, before sheepishly coming back up to glance at your growingly delighted eyes. His fingers dance a final dainty circle around the pulse point of your wrist, before coming up to draw a quick X in the air above his chainmail. ‘For you Y/n, I’ll even cross my heart.’
‘And you’re definitely not here just to cause me more trouble’, you accuse with a jab at his chest. ‘This isn’t another one of your hairbrained schemes to make me lose my job so I can come work up at the Castle kitchens, is it?’ 
For a moment, just a flicker across his usually radiant face, Gwaine looks crestfallen at the accusation. Whether it was due to the fact that you would think of him in such a way, or the thought in the back of his head that he wanted nothing more than to spend every day working in as close a proximity to you as possible, neither of you are entirely sure. He quickly recuperates himself again, and with a shake of his head and a quick wink in your direction, he’s smiling fondly at you once again. ‘You’re very lucky I like a girl who has a bit of bite with her bark, otherwise you may have just broken my heart.’
You groan, but the man standing in front of you, plain as day as he holds his love out to you on a silver platter, is still hopeful in his smile. 
Distracted for a moment by a weary patron politely tapping you on the shoulder and enquiring as to whether he can purchase some late night grub from this tavern, you don’t notice Gwaine playing back and forth with his hand. After you’ve answered the gentleman, you swing back towards your best friend, who looks as if he’s been caught with his hand stuck in the cookie jar. Wide eyed, he swings his right hand back behind his back and coughs innocently.
‘What in all the kingdoms are you doing?’, you ask him as you narrow your eyes, trying to figure out why the knight looks so daunted. 
With a quizzical frown, you grab onto his shoulder and try to peer around the chainmail engulfing his torso, but with every move you make he matches it with a swivel of his head. His smile never falters, but the edges seem to quiver a little... almost as if he were embarrassed? As if he were bashful at being caught hiding something from you. You drop back down onto the balls of your feet and raise an eyebrow at him, both deeply puzzled but also determined to find out what secret the man, who usually gushed every little detail of his day to you as soon as you met, could be hiding.
‘Now now’, he chides, ‘it’s not polite to ask a knight what he’s hiding behind his back. I could be holding keys to the dungeon, sent on a secret mission by Gaius to infiltrate the castle and release Merlin, especially after Arthur locked him up again for spilling shoe polish all over his pretty new tunic. Or, it could be a powerful artefact, or a relic I won on my quest to slay, you know, that dragon I told you about.’ You lift a hand up and gently slap the side of his cheek a couple of times. Gwaine raises his eyes to the ceiling, chewing the inside of his cheek in humorous anticipation. 
‘Or, you could have injured your hand giving Sir Elyan a piggyback ride to the jousting arena again, and don’t want to tell me about it. Or, even more likely, Arthur managed to knock you on your bottom during your sparring match, and you landed on your wrist like the big fool you are.’
Gwaine scoffs, opening his mouth quickly, his tongue ready with a new witty retort to your brazen appraisal. Before he can reply, though, Gwen has nearly shocked you out of your skin by seemingly appearing out of thin air to grab the side of your arm. With one hand resting on your bicep, her other comes around your other shoulder, and she whispers quietly in your ear: ‘Y/n, may I speak with you for a minute before you finish?’ You nod, and with a final teasing smirk at the knight, you allow Gwen to guide you away towards the fireplace, and through the milling crowd of tipsy drinkers and cheeringly clamorous guests. Gwaine watches you recede through the throng with a pang in his heart, taking the flower out from behind his back and looking at it forlornly as he begins to run his fingers over the velvet petals. 
‘She loves me’, he murmurs, letting them fall through his fingertips. ‘She loves me not.’
If only he could stop flirting for one moment, then perhaps he may have had the chance of being truly happy. With a final sigh, he places the flower between his fingers and heads back out into the crowd.
Thankfully for you both, Gwen had been as good-hearted and observant a friend to you both as she had ever been. Once she had finally managed to persuade Gwaine to approach you, she had settled herself into a corner of the tavern, to watch the confession she knew in her heart was coming. In fact, you had an incredibly wonderful network of kind friends, as Gwen would soon divulge to you, once she had tucked the two of you back into the corner and away from the ears of any passing gossips.
‘Y/n, she started’, letting go of you and glancing back in Gwaine’s general direction with an apprehensive peer. ‘Why on earth aren’t you flirting back with the poor man?’
You stare at her in bemusement. ‘Gwen, my dearest friend’, you grab both her hands within your own, and familiarly begin to rub your thumb over the back of her knuckles. ‘As long as I’ve known Gwaine he’s flirted with any breathing, moving woman. For instance, I remember a certain someone being wooed by said knight only ten minutes after he had set foot in Camelot!’ You swing your joint arms between your chests, and give her a comforting look. ‘He’s a dear, dear friend, just as you are, but he’s not serious Gwen.’
‘Oh Y/n, that was different’, Gwen swings back and forth on her feet, ducking her head as she thinks of the best way to relate to you what poor Gwaine had been so poor at trying to tell. ‘Sir Gwaine may be a flirt, but he loves you.’ Before you can even open your mouth to laugh, or shout, or groan, Gwen has gripped your fingers tighter and pulled you another step towards her. ‘And! And, he’s in love with you. How can you not see it?’
Your mouth stutters for a moment, the flickering of the settling fire warming the growing blush on your cheeks until you wish you could fade back into the shadows. Falling backwards, you trust your friend to catch your fall as you lean against the cobblestone wall and stare, gobsmacked. Gwen only nods fervently at your speechlessness, and you can tell by the seriousness lining her face, by the eagerness in her eyes, that she’s telling the truth.
‘Wh-what?’, you finally manage to muster out after a few seconds shock. ‘We’re... we’re friends. We’re friends! He treats me like a friend, like, like he would talk to any of the knights, or Merlin, or, or you!’
‘That’s not true’, she replies, disappointed. 
‘How do you know?’, you ask in a whisper, afraid to hear the answer.
‘I have eyes! Besides, Merlin told me.’
‘About my crush on Gwaine? That little tattletale-’, you begin to rile up, but Gwen could tell from the way you gnashed your teeth and shook your head that you weren’t seriously angry at your friend. You were just disappointed: devastated, even, by the thought of your friends using your infatuation as a source of teasing.
‘Not about you!’, Gwen was quick to correct. ‘Although... that may have come up, just a little.’ She pinches her fingers together and squeezes her eyes shut in apology at the brimming look of annoyance you give her. ‘More about Gwaine though! Apparently, Sir Leon told him in the strictest confidence’, you laugh at that, knowing your friends too well, ‘that every time he’s passed by the armoury in the last two weeks during his nightly rounds, he’s heard Gwaine’s voice echoing inside, practicing to the shields and crossbows how he’s going to admit his feelings for you!’
That... that startles you. With a languid blink, you take a moment to think, before asking Gwen: ‘did Merlin tell you what he was saying?’ 
Gwen places a finger to her chin. ‘I believe it was something along the lines of: ‘my dearest Y/n, from the first moment I was graced with your company, I knew that you would be the only creature in all the kingdoms to hold my heart, forever.’ Sensing your silence, as you dip your eyes and ponder over her words, your friend continues. ‘Besides, Leon’s not the only one! I heard that Gwaine admitted to Percival, I believe during one of their quests, when they were faced with the Dorocha and of uncertain death, that Gwaine admitted his love too. I think while they were roaming the castle, to try and lighten the mood he told Percival that the first day he had met you in this tavern was the best day of his life, and how he wanted to live so he may return to it once more.’
‘See!’, you finally spring to life, throwing a dirty glance at an old drunkard man who was leaning precariously over his table to lean his ear closer to your conversation. With a final swat of your rag in his general direction, you turn back to the intense conversation at hand. ‘He only admitted he missed the tavern!’
‘No Y/n, if you let me finish, he said that he wanted to return as he had made a promise to himself, all those years ago, that he was going to marry you one day. Do you really find it no coincidence that as soon as Camelot was saved, you were the first person he sought out?’
‘He did hug me rather tight’, you murmur, crossing your arms over your chest and chiding yourself for being so blind. ‘Oh Gwen, how could I have been such a fool too? How can I fix this? He must hate me for the way I’ve treated him.’
Before you can finish your musing thought, Gwen has stepped forward to wrap you in a tight hug, squeezing your shoulders before letting go. Sliding her arms down to your waist, she shakes her head. ‘No one could ever hate you, Y/n. And the solution is simple. Go tell him.’
Glancing out across the tavern hall with worry lines deepening your eyes, your heart is relieved to spot Gwaine still milling about; he seems to be entrenched deeply in an arm wrestle with some young, muddy looking farmer, but you can tell his heart isn’t really in to win. Over the course of your conversation with Gwen, he’s spent every excusable reason to glance over his shoulder and back at you. To make sure you were safe. To make sure no one was hassling you. To make sure Gwen wasn’t going to break your heart by indulging his true feelings for you. To make sure you weren’t about to push through the crowd and run out the door, disgusted by the idea. His eyes met yours: aflame, tense, deep set in their worry, and he’s quick to look back down at his elbow again.
How could it really have taken you so long? To realise that his bitten, plump lips, his rosy cheeks, his overwhelming joy was all solely from the thought of you?
With a resolute gasp, you allow Gwen to gently push you off in his direction, despite how thunderously your pulse was flickering through your body. You nod, and let your feet direct your path, not giving yourself a moment to think over the implications of the incoming interaction. After what feels like an eternity of treading water, you come to an uncertain stop behind the three men. Although Gwaine is still chatting with the green-clad man he had been wrestling innocently with earlier, the other crop gatherer seems to have fallen asleep on the table, his crossed arms pushing his mug of ale until it rested against his nose.
Mustering determination, you quickly prod Gwaine three times against his cape, taking a worried step back as he quickly turns to look at you once again. ‘You just couldn’t stay away’, Gwaine remarks with a warm smile when you finally garner the courage to approach the table he’s currently leaning over. ‘I can’t blame you, not many can.’ With his thumb, he points over at the young man gently beginning to snore on the opposite end of the table. ‘This poor lad grew so tired of my wit and charm he had to close his eyes for a bit.’
He stands up, giving a final wink and a nod at his short-lived companions. His tall frame hunches over you as he steps forward, blocking out the rest of the flitting candlelight from the east end of the tavern; the front of his chainmail brushes against where your hands are bunched into the coarse linen of your apron, sending a jolt flying along your fingertips. He seems to be casing you into his very being, that same soft - so soft dopey smile breaking like dawn across his face as he appraises you from above.
Before he can start whittling off again, and you lose your garnered nerve, you break the laden silence by asking Gwaine the most important question you could think of in that moment.
‘What were you hiding behind your back?’
Gwaine seems taken aback by your query, visibly raising his eyebrows as he begins to bite his bottom lip again. You know him to well to think him puzzled: he’s worried, scared that Gwen may have told you the truth, and you have come waltzing over to tell him off, and in doing so, cleave his heart clean in two.
‘Do you - do you really want to know?’, he asks uncertainly, taking the flower out from where he had stored it in his belt for safekeeping, before placing it behind his back once more. You’re swift to reach around his waist, skirting your pointer finger over the bone until you meet his hand. He gives it to you easily, his palm warm and laden with scars as he allows you to unfurl his fingers.  
‘I think... I think I already do’, you reply with a hitched breath, enjoying the way Gwaine has taken to rubbing the tips of your knuckles as you press against his palm. Before you can lift the flower, though, he’s already using his free hand to tuck a strand of hair back from your ear. With a careful precision he’s obviously spent many nights over the years practicing, and doting on within his dreams, he tucks the stem of the flower behind your ear.
‘Well, I’m glad’, he states, dropping the back of his own knuckles down the side of your cheek, until he’s cupping your jaw. Your pulse point races against his skin as he dips his head down with a flash of pearly whites, not satisfied until he feels your nose bump against the tip of his own. ‘For I fear it has been my quest in life to find you, and love you till the end of days.’
‘Hmm, and a knight must never fail’, you mutter between laughter against the side of his mouth.
His voice is stricken: as serious as you’ve ever heard the rebellious man speak, and you know he has choked trying to speak these words many times before. 
‘I don’t intend to.’
A rapturous wave of applause seems to fill the serene air (even your grumpy old boss manages to roll his eyes and pound the table a little), so dreamlike in its warmth, as Gwaine leans down fully to kiss you. His arms wrap around your waist, seeming to pull you in their vice like grip impossibly close to his chest, until the air you both breathe seems to be one and the same. You can feel him smile against your top lip as he tenderly places a second, lingering, caressing kiss against it, before pulling away to look at you.
Before either of you can breathe out a sigh of relief, though, you’re interrupted by the sound of Gwen cheering from the fireplace. The two of you finally break out in laughter, then, doubling over together and holding onto your stomachs as Gwen covers her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. 
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What Merlin would be like in bed...
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Merlin gives off quite a dorky, silly, somewhat doesn't know what's going on vibe however in the bedroom, he's a completely different person.
As soon as the bedroom door shuts, he transforms into a different person.
He's confident, cocky and he loves to tease.
He absolutely uses his magic to trail what feels like electricity over your skin as his mouth works you close to the edge.
Merlin loves the way you moan and mewl for him. He loves how loud he can make you get, loves to pull screams from you. He adores the noises you make. He loves knowing that he's the one who makes you feel that good; makes him rock hard.
Although confident in his sex skills, he's always willing and eager to learn. He loves for you to teach him, to be submissive to him and for you to tell him exactly what to do. He hates taking orders from anyone but he'll happily take orders from you.
He loves to kiss. Merlin loves just kissing you, it's so simple and yet a deep kiss will have him hard and ready for you.
He loves going down on you, loves the taste of you and he loves using his magic to overstimulate you; he loves when you're a moaning, mewling mess beneath him.
He can be very sweet in bed, very slow and passionate but most of the time, Merlin likes a little bit of trouble. He likes to tease you, likes you needy. He loves to show off with his magic, making you orgasm with it before he even uses his mouth.
He usually ends up late to meet Arthur because he's too busy in bed with you.
Arthur teases him about you, Arthur tries to give him sex lessons because he thinks the poor boy is helpless. Merlin thanks him for the advice and hides a laugh behind his hand. He doesn't need any advice, he knows how to please you and he knows how to do it well.
He even goes so far sometimes to pleasure you in public... Using his magic from across the room to give you a little zap of electricity across your skin to make you shiver and stammer in your seat. He hides his satisfied smile with a cough as your cheeks turn red and you glare at him across the table.
Merlin enjoys that people don't think he's much because all he cares about is you and your opinion, he likes being able to surprise you; always pleasuring you and teasing you. He likes that only you get to see that side of him.
Aftercare with Merlin includes curling up beside him, flushed and sweaty, all smiles and giggles as he presses a kiss to your shoulder, your knuckles, your nose, your cheeks and then finally your lips before you mumble a soft 'I love you' to the other. He loves falling asleep like that with you, tangled and happy.
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rubysunnday · 9 days
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dead and gone and buried
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a/n: i'm deep in my gwaine brain rot right now so have a cute/angsty lil fic summary: Y/N looses someone she loves and leans on Gwaine in the darkest hours.
The early spring mornings were one of the highlights of Y/N’s day. As she meandered through the corridors of the castle, she caught glimpses of the morning sun slowly rising, bathing the white stone walls in orange.
Each sunrise brought with it a new day and a fresh start.
It also brought along one knight and a large plate of breakfast.
"What is it today, Sir Gwaine?" Y/N asked, walking down the corridor and toward Gwaine.
Gwaine was half dressed, cloak draped and folded over one shoulder, chain mail roughly tucked into his belt. He held a large plate in one hand, gloves in the other.
"I believe it is pork with leftovers from last night," he replied, coming to a stop beside Y/N. "There's some apple, some... I think potatoes?"
Y/N peered at the plate. She nodded. "Potatoes."
She reached out and snatched one off the plate, dodging Gwaine's pitiful attempt at slapping her hand with his gloves.
"Have you not got things to be doing?" He asked, shielding his plate from her.
"Oh, I have a lengthy list," she replied, "but I would much rather be taunting you than helping people get dressed."
Gwaine chuckled. He tossed his head back, letting his hair fall out of his face. "I should probably go and get ready."
Y/N nodded, gently sweeping her foot across the floor. "Do you need a hand?" She asked, looking up at him.
"Uh..." Gwaine looked at himself, taking in his mismatched state of dress. "Please," he replied, his smile growing.
Gwaine leant across Y/N and placed his plate of breakfast down on the window sill. She pulled his cloak from his shoulder and took his gloves.
Y/N held Gwaine's clothes as he untangled his chain mail from his belt and awkwardly dragged it down over his head. She watched, angling her eyes down when Gwaine looked up, flicking his hair out from under the shirt.
He reached out and took his cape from her, his fingers brushing against the back of her hand. In one, rather dramatic, swoop, he put the cape around his shoulders and pulled the buckle tight, letting the cape settle around his shoulders.
With a smile, Y/N slapped the gloves into Gwaine's hands. "Good morrow, Sir Knight."
Gwaine bowed to her, sweeping his cloak out behind him. "Good morrow, Lady Y/N."
Y/N giggled. "You better get going unless you want our wonderful king to yell at you."
"He yells at me all the time," Gwaine replied, pulling his gloves on. "It'll be nothing new."
He leant across and pressed a kiss to Y/N's cheek. Gwaine stepped back and nodded at her, turning on his heel and walking down the corridor.
Y/N shook her head, a fond smile on her face, and began walking the opposite direction.
//
"Gwaine, if you spent more time watching your opponent, you'd spend less time on the floor." Arthur yelled, stabbing his sword into the grass.
Y/N laughed softly as she walked past. Gwaine was, indeed, lying sprawled on the grass, his sword flung miles away. He rolled over onto his stomach, his eyes catching on Y/N as she passed. She waved to him and he awkwardly waved back to her.
When she got a chance, Y/N always went for a walk down past the training ground. Partly so she could watch Gwaine try and partly because she could breathe in the fresh air and stroll amongst the upper town.
There was only so much pretentious behaviour Y/N could take from those in the castle before she lost her mind.
"Lady Y/N?"
Y/N turned her head, coming face to face with a flush-faced, out-of-breath messenger.
She nodded. Y/N patiently waited as the messenger fiddled with this bag, struggling to find the piece of parchment he was meant to give her.
Eventually he found it, whipping it out the bag with a flourish. He handed it to Y/N and, before she could even unfolded it, ran off back into the upper town, dodging through the crowds.
The wax seal popped off easily. Y/N unfolded the letter, all ready knowing what it would say.
She'd been waiting for this letter for months. Ever since her father had retired from his role as secretary of state because of his declining health, she'd been waiting for the letter that summoned her home to be at his death bed.
'It's time to come home.'
There it was, written in black ink and folded into a square.
"You alright?"
Y/N jumped, dropping the letter and stumbling back over a tiny pebble on the ground. Gwaine, who'd made her jump in the first place, caught her by the waist and stabled her, setting her back on her own two feet.
"Sorry," he said, wincing. "I thought you'd heard me."
"No, I hadn't," Y/N breathed, still recovering. "I was -"
"Reading?" Gwaine held out her letter to her. "Is it your father?" He asked as she took it, clutching the letter to her chest.
Y/N had confided in Gwaine about her father's health long ago. He'd been the one to watch out for him during council meetings, escorting him back to his chambers when he'd been to unwell to stay any longer.
Gwaine had been a silent supporter for Y/N as she tried to cope with her father and her job in the castle. When her father had retired and returned back to their home village, Gwaine had held her hand as she watched him disappear through the gates.
So it was with no surprise that Y/N turned to her best friend and said "yes... he most likely won't survive the week."
Gwaine took a step closer, reaching down and gently grabbing Y/N's hand, cradling it in his.
"When are you going?" He asked, lowering his voice as a group of knights passed by, laughing loudly.
Y/N shrugged. The wind picked up, blowing her hair in front of her eyes and she brushed it back, ignoring the headdress she'd pinned to her hair.
Gwaine reached up with his other hand and caught her hand. He brushed her hair back, untangling it from the headdress. His hand lowered, brushing against her cheek before returning to his side.
"It's an hour or two away," Y/N said softly, "so either before nightfall or first thing tomorrow morning."
"I'll come with you."
"No, Gwaine, I can't ask you to do that -"
Gwaine cut her off, putting a hand to her cheek. "I offered. I don't want you to be alone, that's all."
Y/N nodded, swallowing back the tears building in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.
//
Atheyers was quiet as they rode into the town. The townsfolk had begun lighting lanterns and shutting windows, settling down for the night.
Gwaine helped Y/N down from her horse and, hand in hand, they walked up to the big, wooden timbered house, that was Y/N's family home.
Inside the atmosphere was sombre and almost stifling with grief. For a moment, Y/N thought she was too late. But then she saw her brother rush down the stairs and her panic eased slightly.
"You're just in time," Isaac whispered, embracing his sister tightly. "Come on." He turned, looking at Gwaine. "You too, Sir Gwaine."
The room was quiet, lit candles providing warmth and a calming light.
Y/N walked in, hiding behind her brother for a second. She peered round and saw her father lying in bed, looking pale and fragile.
"Y/N's here, father," her brother whispered.
Y/N glanced behind, searching for Gwaine's reassuring gaze. He stood in the shadows, quietly watching. When he caught her gaze, he nodded and gave her a reassuring smile.
She stepped forward and crouched down beside the bed. "I'm here, father," she said softly, taking his hand in hers. "You can rest now."
//
Bird song greeted Gwaine the next morning. He'd fallen asleep in a chair that sat outside the bedroom, against the wall of the corridor. He stretched as he stood up, rubbing his face.
The door creaked slightly as he pushed it open, peering inside. Y/N was asleep beside her father, still curled on the floor, her head resting on the mattress, arm folded under her head.
Gwaine knew that her father had passed. There was a new, peaceful silence in the room broken only by the birds tweeting outside.
He approached Y/N and knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Y/N," he whispered, shaking her gently. "Hey..."
Y/N lifted her head, looking up at Gwaine. "He's gone."
"I know. I'm sorry," he whispered, stroking her hair.
Y/N sat back, leaning against Gwaine's chest. He shifted, kneeling behind her, pulling her into his lap.
They sat there for a moment. Y/N held Gwaine's hand tightly and closed her eyes.
//
They gathered on the shore of Lake Riveia, watching the boat containing the body of Y/N's father burn.
Y/N stood at the edge of the shore, her brother next to her. Dressed in black, she looked like a shadow in the afternoon sunlight.
Gwaine stood with the other knights, capes blowing in the breeze, heads bowed. Arthur stood along side them - not as a king but as a knight himself.
After a while, those gathered began to walk back to the castle, until Y/N and Gwaine were all who remained.
"How are you?" Gwaine asked, coming to stand by Y/N's sad, his shoulder brushing against her.
"Coping," she whispered, her eyes still fixed on the burning boat in the distance. After a moments pause, she turned to face Gwaine. "Thank you for being here."
Gwaine raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised. "Of course," he replied. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."
"I know but... I'm grateful for the fact you even stayed to check on me," Y/N replied, chuckling sadly. "Not many do."
"Not many love you like I do."
Y/N smiled, looking down at the ground. Gwaine reached over and placed his finger under her chin, gently guiding her head up until she was looking at him.
"I love you, Y/N," he said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. He rested his hand against her cheek and Y/N leant into it. "I love you with so much of my heart, none is left to protest."
"That's good," Y/N said, giggling quietly. "I don't think I could cope with you denying your feelings." She paused, pressing her lips together. "I think I do enough for both of us."
Gwaine gently turned Y/N by her shoulders until she faced him. She looked up, staring into his eyes, suddenly remembering just how beautiful his brown eyes were.
Slowly, Y/N leant forward, her eyes closing. Gwaine pressed his lips to hers, his hands resting on her hips. Y/N raised her arms, threading her fingers through his hair, untangling the curls.
They pulled apart, resting their foreheads together.
"I finally have my own knight," Y/N whispered, shoulders shaking as she giggled.
"And I my lady," Gwaine replied, pressing another kiss to her lips. "Forever and always."
Y/N stepped closer and kissed Gwaine again, holding him as tightly as she could.
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multifandomfix · 1 year
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Imagine Merlin struggling to find you the perfect gift.
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Everything was wrong. It just wasn’t good enough. Not one single thing was what he was looking for, but the problem was, he didn’t know what he was looking for. All he knew was it had to be perfect. It had to be worthy of you.
Gaius had offered Merlin several suggestions, and when Merlin turned every single one of them down, Gaius sent him away, making him Arthur’s problem for the day. And Arthur had proved to be even less help than Gaius, though that was of no real surprise.
Gwen. He should have talked to Gwen. But there wasn’t time. He was meant to meet you in the marketplace at midday and he had nothing to show for it. He stumbled awkwardly through the stalls and vendors, hoping for something, anything, that he could pass off as good enough, but then he caught sight of you.
It was now or never. He spun himself right into a cart full of flowers, and whisked a handful out of their water bucket in order to present them to you. He was just hoping you weren’t seeing any of this. He threw down some coin and made his way to you, flowers behind his back.
“I got you these,” he said, presenting them to you when you approached. They were pretty at least. That had to count for something. And you were smiling. Another good sign.
“Merlin, they’re perfect! How did you know these were my favorite?”
“Oh, you know,” Merlin fumbled, reaching a hand behind his neck, “lucky guess.”
Happy Valentine’s Day @dancingwith-sunflowers
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Merlin: @retvenkos, @dancingwith-sunflowers, @randomfandomimagine, @locke-writes, @danzalladaggers, @living-for-romance, @chaotic-mushroomz, @psychosociogentleman, @sammus-white, @geekyandgay98
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make-me-imagine · 2 years
Text
Blissfully Unaware
Prompt: 'A game of 20 questions that ends with “Can I kiss you?” Requested By: Anonymous (Mystery Prompt Pink 19)
Plot: While making your way back to Camelot, you and Gwaine try to make the time go by faster by learning more about one another. Gwaine uses this, to try to find out if you share his feelings.
Pairing: Gwaine x GN!Reader
Warnings: A "detailed" kiss or two, but that's about it.
Words: 1.5k
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As you looked out over the valley, you sighed "Well, either we missed them already, or we're ahead of them."
Gwaine stood beside you as he looked around. "We can't wait around for them, we should just continue on our way. We'll meet back at Camelot either way."
Nodding, you turned and looked ahead into the heavy wooded area "I really wish we hadn't lost our horses."
Gwaine nodded as he began to walk ahead "But at least we still have our legs."
You let out a soft scoff, "Might not by the time we make it back to Camelot."
Gwaine smiled as he looked back at you for a moment. He had been dying for a few moments to be alone with you, and now that you had gotten split off from the group, he had more time than he expected.
It felt like almost too much time, as Gwaine felt an uncommon anxiousness in his gut. It was not common that someone made him nervous, but you most certainly did.
"We could talk, to make the time go by faster." Gwaine suggested, as he stopped to wait for you to catch up to him.
"Talk about what?"
He shrugged lightly. "Tell me about yourself."
You let out a soft laugh that made his heart flutter. "We've known each other for months now Gwaine."
He grinned. "True, but that does not mean I know everything about you. I only know the basics, tell me more."
You opened your mouth before you shook your head with an uncertain laugh. "I don't know what to tell you, it's all pretty boring."
"Oh, I doubt that." He said with a soft smile.
You smile in return, feeling your heart hammer in your chest. You weren't expecting to be alone with Gwaine, and now he wanted to know all about you? You had never felt more unsure of yourself.
"How about this, I will just ask you questions, and you answer."
"Alright, but do I get to ask you questions too?"
He nodded "Of course."
"Alright then." You smiled, wondering where this conversation would end up.
"Okay, let me see," he mumbled "Why did you pick Camelot? Of all the placed you could have moved to, why here?"
You thought about your response for a moment, as you and Gwaine headed deeper into the woods, and closer to Camelot.
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As the mid-day sun hung over head, you and Gwaine sat by a small river, taking a break from your long venture back to Camelot.
"So, you've been in Camelot a lot longer that I have" Gwaine said as he sat down beside you. "But I hardly see you with anyone but the Knights, Merlin, or Gwen."
"Yes? And?"
"Is there no one else in your life?"
You felt an uneasy tightness in your chest at this, but you smiled casually. "Is that not enough people?"
He smiled and shook his head. "I meant romantically."
You felt a bit of tension rise between you, but felt it was surely one sided. You shook your head as you pulled your water canister from your bag.
"Ah. Well, no, there is no one romantically in my life." Standing, you began to head to the river, unaware of the hopeful gaze on Gwaine's face.
"And no one, headed, in that direction then?" Gwaine asked, watching your profile.
You shrugged your head a bit, "I don't know. I tend to be 'blissfully unaware' of that sort of thing, or at least Gwen says so."
Gwaine let out a soft laugh, and you felt your heart beating heavily. As curiosity set heavy on your mind, you asked softly, while trying to sound as casual as you could.
"What about you? Who are you with?"
He shook his head. "No one."
You looked at him with a bit of surprise, he was unable to miss. He rose a brow a bit. "I know I'm labeled the palace flirt, but that doesn't mean I'm always in a relationship."
You let out a soft chuckle. "I thought you liked that label."
He shrugged softly. "I didn't mind it at first, but, I don't want it to become my reputation. The person I have actual feelings for might not think to kindly of me if it is, they might not trust me."
You felt your heart sink a bit as you turned, looking out at the forest, not wanting Gwaine to see your face.
"So you like someone then? In Camelot?"
Gwaine stared at you, wondering if that was disappointment in your voice or if he was just imagining it. "Yes, I do."
"What are they like?"
Gwaine's lip curled up a bit before he spoke. "They're amazing. They're smart, witty, talented, too kind for their own good really. Attractive, more than they're willing to admit. They're much too good for me, really."
You looked down at your feet but smiled softly. "They almost sound made up."
He let out a soft laugh. "I would think so too if I didn't know them. I don't think they realize half those things about themselves though."
You wondered who it was he was thinking of. Someone you knew? It didn't really sound like it. Maybe it was someone he met in the town.
"Sounds like you really do like them."
Was that a hint of jealousy? No. Surely you understood he was talking about you by now.
"I do. Very much."
His voice had grown softer, and you felt a jealousy in your chest, but you tried to push it away. You should feel happy for him. Happy that he has found someone who makes him feel that way, even if it couldn't be you.
Swallowing down your feelings, you turned back around and made your way over.
"So, how long have you been with them? Do the other Knights know about them?"
Gwaine frowned as he watched you set your water down, before you grabbed a rag and went back to the water. You really didn't realize he had been talking about you. He almost laughed.
"I'm not with them."
"Oh." You looked back at him, clearly confused. Wiping your face and hands with the damp rag, you steadied your voice. "So, do they know? How you feel?"
He shook his head softly as he watched you closely. "I don't think so."
"Whats stopping you from telling them?"
He repressed a smile as he cleared his throat and began to stand up. "I've tried, but I don't think they understood what I was saying. Or, they just didn't understand how it could be them I had feelings for."
'Sounds familiar' you thought quickly as you stood. "Maybe they need a more obvious sign."
You mentally kicked yourself for encouraging him, all you were doing was pushing him further away from you.
Gwaine made his way towards you, "An obvious sign? Like a kiss?"
You almost choked, "Uhm, I suppose that would be obvious" you let out a short laugh. "But, you can't just march up to them and kiss them out of the blue."
Gwaine stepped up to you. "So I ask first?"
You tilted your head with a soft shake, "Yeah, then you'd at least know for certain how they felt."
Gwaine continued to stare at you as he nodded softly. A small smile spread across his face as you felt your heart flutter.
"Alright then." Taking a step closer, he was right in front of you, his eyes drilling into yours. You felt your breath catch in your throat. "Can I kiss you?"
As confusion turned into denial, following by realization, you opened your mouth slowly, and spoke softly. "You were talking about me?"
His lips stretched into a grin as he nodded softly. "I thought I was being obvious."
You felt your face grown hot as you failed to repress a smile. "Gwen was right. I am-"
Gwaine's smile turned into a grin as you both spoke at the same time.
"Blissfully unaware."
You giggled softly as you looked down, feeling almost overwhelming embarrassment, confusion and excitement.
Feeling Gwaine hook his finger under your chin, you looked up to meet his gaze. "I was certainly right about one thing. You really don't realize any of those things about yourself do you?"
"I don't really think about myself at all." You admitted.
His smile faded a bit, before he replaced it again with a flirty gaze. "That's alright, I think about you enough for the both of us."
You let out an almost startled giggle as you felt your ears burning hot.
Keeping your eyes locked with his, you felt him gently caress your chin with his finger. "So, about that kiss?"
Your heart was hammering heavily in your chest, as you found it hard to breath. Smiling, you nodded your head.
Gwaine slowly lowered his head, as his lips met yours gently. The soft kiss was deepened as Gwaine brought his hand to the back of your neck and pulled you closer. You brought your hand up and set it against his chest.
Slowly parting, your eyes fluttered open meeting his again. You both had soft smiles on your lips.
"I do trust you, by the way." You whispered softly. "Label or not."
His smile widened, "You really are too good for me."
You shook your head lightly. "Agree to disagree."
Letting out a soft breathy laugh, he pulled you into another kiss, deeper and more passionate than the last. You wrapped your arms around his neck, as he pulled you flush against him.
xx End xx
I had no idea what to write next, so I just ended it lol. Hope you enjoyed it nonetheless &lt;3
General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @caswinchester2000, @imaginesfire, @rexit-mo, @onuen, @witchygagirl
Merlin/Gwaine Taglist: @flourishandblotts-inc, @spuffyfan394, @dominos-palast, @ambitionspassionscoffee, @locke-writes, @multifandomfix,
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pigfacedbitch · 8 months
Text
Comfort
summary : what would your boyfriend do if you had a bad day at work/school?
word count : 0.7k
type : headcanons
pairing/s : Modern! Gwaine / Merlin / Arthur (Soldier, Poet, King😂) x Reader
warning/s : asshole bosses / professors lol
here is my masterlist!
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Note : Why is life so tiring? Sometimes, I just want to lay down and sleep. Slight NSFW on Gwaine's part .
Gwaine
Gwaine is evidently high-spirited but pouts like a kicked puppy when he sees you sad.
He may be a little unfamiliar with comforting someone but he knows that having fun can revive someone's soul so as a way to comfort you, he will offer a night of distraction and pleasure (I know what you're thinking and yes, you are right 👀).
From here, it depends on what you want to do. Gwaine will enthusiastically go with the flow.
You want to stay at home and play games? He will gladly lose to monopoly, uno, scrabbles, or any board games you want to play.
Gwaine is also a reliable player two in online games and will shout with you when another player is performing poorly.
"How can you miss that shot?!"
"What my love said, you muppet!"
Want to watch a movie? A pillow fort with your favorite movies, snacks, and soda coming right up!
Warning though, if you want to go out and party, don't. As loveable as he is, Gwaine is a party animal who has little self-control. He WILL get drunk before you and you have no choice but to drag his ass back to your home.
Last possible activity? Doing the deed. Might fuck the stress and sadness out of you until all you can remember is how good he made you feel, just saying. Anyways, enjoy! 😚
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Merlin
This sweet baby boy will serve you like a queen, no joke.
Merlin will immediately know you had a bad day as he welcomes you in your shared home, already wrapping his (big and strong🫢) arms around your tired body.
He won't say a word but you'll know that he offers comfort by how tight his hug is, slowly soothing your hair, and gently kissing parts of your face.
"What's wrong, love?"
And boom! Here comes the waterworks. He will let you cry and vent as he leads the two of you on the sofa, lying comfortably there until you are done.
You might even take a short nap. Merlin doesn't care if you covered him with tears, drool, or snot; as long you feel better.
He will wake you up with your favorite home-cooked meal prepared on the table then taking you to the bathroom for a relaxing bath.
There would be scented candles, bath bombs, mellow music, skin care products— the whole nine yards. And no, you don't have to move. Merlin will do everything for you unless you want otherwise.
He will give you a massage on the bed after that, saying words of encouragement and support.
If you ask him to use his magic, he will. He will show you anything you want; from the wonders of the world to the vast beauty of the cosmos.
He hates using his magical abilities on you but as you fall asleep in his arms that night, he whispers a spell that will surely give you good dreams and an even better sleep.
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Arthur
Let's face it, Arthur can be... oblivious at times.
Unlike Merlin and Gwaine, it will take a little longer for him to realize you feel like shit.
The Pendragons are very wealthy, and it sometimes compensates for the other qualities they lack.
He may not be as cheerful as Gwaine or provide you a satisfactory service like Merlin, but he can give you anything you want.
You want to go to another country? The private jet is ready. You don't even have to pack a bag, Arthur will buy new clothes for you.
He will let you choose the hotel you'll be staying in and book all the activities you want to do such as tours in the wildlife, scuba diving, spa days, and many more.
You want comfort food? The best chef in Albion will be brought to your home at once, paid heavily to cook whatever food you fancy.
You want materials things, jewelries and dresses? Even stationery? You got it. Arthur doesn't care how much you spend, he's practically your sugar daddy. 😂
If you just want him by your side, he will let you hug him like a koala bear to a tree and listen to your complains.
However, watch your words or the people you mention. Because Arthur will see to it that they will be dealt with, money comes with influence after all.
"So that's why they are being overly nice to me!"
"No one messes with the love of my life."
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helloalycia · 8 months
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the king’s ward [two] // morgana pendragon
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summary: as you continue to hide the truth about your identity, your final round is against the Prince of Camelot himself.
warning/s: mentions of violence, injury and kidnapping.
author's note: so glad you’re all enjoying this one! here’s the second part 🥰
one / three / four / masterlist / wattpad
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The next few fights went about as smoothly as the last one did, but without a doubt I pulled through and eventually made it to the finals. Morgana didn't tell anybody about who I really was, which I was very surprised at, and I toned down my flirting with her massively. Partially for the fact that she now knew it was me, and also because it certainly wasn't impressing Uther. I couldn't risk it, especially if he found out the truth about me.
When I found myself facing off Arthur in the final match of the competition, I was nervous to say the least. Everybody wanted their future king to win, of course, but I only wanted to see if I could beat him. He was the best of the best, but I could be, too. Couldn't I?
After the King made a short speech that essentially hinted at Prince Arthur kicking my butt, the fight began and I was thrown into the deep end. He only fought with a sword, as did I, and we both had many close calls, pinning each other down with ease. This fight was the longest I'd had with anybody, the blonde proving to be quite the challenge. But unlike his other opponents, I was keeping up with his every move.
He was bigger, physically, which made it easier for me to sneak around him, avoiding his sword. When his did clash with mine, he had the upper hand with strength. But it didn't take long for me to use his own strength against him and flip him over me. Before I could make the winning strike, he rolled off the ground and pulled his helmet off, throwing it to the side like it was a mere inconvenience. I swallowed hard, keeping mine on and trying not to let his focused expression deter me.
He stalked toward me, swinging his sword with might and keeping me on my toes. I didn't falter under his constant strikes, but my arms were growing tired with his considerable speed. My only option was to disarm him, and when he least expected it, I managed to flip his sword out of his hand and land it my left one, immediately holding him at the end of my sword. He froze, jaw clenching when he realised I'd got him stuck, and everybody waited for me to make the final strike. After all, there were no rules.
But I was no villain, and I gave him a curt nod before dropping both of my arms, lowering both swords. He pressed his lips together but nodded respectfully, accepting his defeat. The crowd erupted into cheers as I tossed him his sword back, and then I began to smile to myself because I'd done the impossible. I'd beat Arthur Pendragon.
When I turned to see the King's reaction, he did not look impressed in the slightest, still seated and staring at us both with shock. Morgana, on the other hand, was stood up and clapping with amazement, grinning down at me. I waved at her, grateful, and then glanced at Prince Arthur who was now smiling graciously.
"You did good," he said over the noise of the crowd, and then smacked my back with pride, but it was a lot harder than I expected and I tipped forward at the force, my helmet flying off before I could catch it.
I froze, my eyes widened with panic, and the crowd went quiet in unified shock. I feared looking up, but when I did, Arthur was staring at me with a slack jaw.
"You're a girl?!"
I looked up at the King, only to see the pure anger and shock written across his face. I facepalmed mentally, knowing I was screwed.
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Y/B/N and I were kneeling before the King as he yelled at us about how we had made a fool of him, Camelot's traditions and everybody who took part in the completion. I tried to pay attention, but all I could think about was how close I'd gotten to winning. So close, yet so far.
"...and I could have you banished from Camelot forever!" he was saying, pacing back and forth before us.
Arthur was stood behind him, still in disbelief that I'd beaten him, and Morgana was there too, listening to his verdict. Once he'd finished, she suddenly stepped forward.
"My lord, was it really that bad? Maybe Y/N just wanted to compete," she tried to reason with him, but he wasn't hearing it.
"Women can't fight!" he snapped at her, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
"This one can," Arthur mumbled.
I fought a smile from my lips, which Y/B/N detected and nudged me with warning. Uther was glaring down at us both, irrationally angry.
"You," Arthur suddenly said, looking down at me, and I met his gaze. He seemed conflicted. "You're extremely talented. Nobody has ever bested me."
I wasn't sure what to say, so I stayed quiet.
"It's not right what you did," he said thoughtfully, "but it wasn't fair that you couldn't compete in the first place."
"Arthur!" Uther scolded him.
"Father, a win is a win," Arthur said in a pleading tone. "She deserves the prize and the praise!"
"The whole of Camelot cannot see their future king be beat by some– some woman!" Uther said with disgust.
"But I was!" Arthur argued right back, certainly surprising me. "And that's okay!"
"No," Uther muttered, before pacing again. A silence fell upon us as he decided what to do with us. And then he stopped suddenly, beginning to relax. "We will tell everyone you saw her hair before she disarmed you. That you faltered at the deception and couldn't beat a girl. That you let her win."
At this blatant lie and disrespect, I looked up. "But that's not–"
"You can keep the prize money if you keep quiet," he said to me with a scowl. "Fair?"
I blinked, swallowing hard.
"Father, that's an outright lie!" Arthur disagreed before I could answer. "What's the harm if they know the truth?"
Uther glared at him. "I don't expect you to understand." His gaze fell back to me. "So. Do we have a deal?"
I frowned, glancing at Y/B/N. He mirrored my frown, but nodded. I sighed then nodded to Uther.
"Deal," I agreed reluctantly.
Relived that the discussion was over, Uther nodded. "Finally. Good. I tire of this."
Not sparing us another glance, he walked past us and out of the throne room. Arthur sighed and nodded to my brother and I.
"Please, stand," he said. We did, and he continued, "I'm sorry. Y/N, you should've been able to fight as is. It's a shame no one will know the truth of your abilities and talent."
"Maybe you can change that when you become king," I said disappointedly. "For now, this will have to do."
He rubbed the bridge of his nose with discomfort. "You'll both still be attending the banquet this evening. At my invite. It's the least you deserve after winning."
"We'd be honoured, my lord," I said with a nod.
"Great," Arthur said, relieved. "I shall see you tonight then."
We both bowed respectfully before leaving the throne room, following the knights out of the castle. Once we were finally alone, Y/B/N and I embraced with relief.
"I can't believe you beat the bloody prince," he said with a pride-filled smile.
I laughed, the overwhelming joy of it all – winning and somehow getting away with it – getting to me. "I did."
He pulled me into his side as we began to walk through the city. "So, what are you gonna do with the prize money?"
"What are we gonna do with it," I corrected him. "I couldn't have done any of this without you."
"But we were caught," he reminded me.
I shrugged. "Doesn't matter."
He smiled. "Maybe we can buy some clothes for the party tonight. Got to look our best after all, don't we?"
"Not a bad idea, brother, not a bad idea at all."
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Despite Arthur having invited my brother and I to the party this evening, Y/B/N and I still felt a little unwelcome. Word had spread about my deception, including how Arthur had let me win – a story I really hated but knew I couldn't argue – so many eyes were on us when we entered.
"You sure you don't want to leave now?" Y/B/N asked, half joking.
"If I can't get the credit, I can at least enjoy some free food," I retorted, making him smile.
Before we could even think about where to start first, a servant boy approached us with a friendly smile. I recognised him, certain I'd seen him waiting after Arthur throughout the week.
"Y/N, congratulations on your win!" he exclaimed. "Your fighting was just incredible. Not many people can beat Arthur, but you just..." He made a punching gesture with hand, amazed.
"Thank you, but as I'm sure you know, Arthur let me win," I told him, managing not to grimace at the lie.
He snorted as if he didn't believe it. "Right. Well, either way, you're a very talented swordswoman."
I smiled for real, appreciative of his compliment and also the fact that he seemed to believe I'd won by myself and not by Arthur's right.
"Merlin, stop bothering my guests please," Arthur suddenly came out of nowhere, patting the servant boy on the back.
The servant, who I now knew was called Merlin, rolled his eyes playfully before shooting me a final smile and leaving us be
"Y/N, Y/B/N," Arthur said, eyes falling to us. "You both look great. Do enjoy tonight. I've already told my father not to bother you. It's your night as much as anyone else's. Especially mine."
"Thank you, my lord," Y/B/N said, nodding his head, and I nodded, too.
"We appreciate it," I added.
Arthur pursed his lips, staring at me for a moment longer than usual, before mumbling to himself as he walked away, "Beaten by a woman."
My smile grew as I sensed he still wasn't over the defeat. Even if nobody else knew, it was still enough to know I could actually do it.
"C'mon, let's go get a drink," Y/B/N said, already heading towards the table full of drinks.
We both grabbed a goblet each, cheering to my win subtly, before taking a sip. Talking about what we might do next, we almost didn't notice Morgana approaching us.
"Y/B/N, Y/N," she greeted with a warm smile.
"My lady," Y/B/N returned, bowing respectfully, and I followed suit.
"Please, it's really not necessary," Morgana said in jest.
Y/B/N and I exchanged smiles, knowing it was, but we didn't want to offend Morgana and say otherwise.
"I'm going to track down some food," Y/B/N suddenly said, and he shot me a look before leaving Morgana and I alone. I supposed I was grateful he did.
"I never got the chance to say it before," I started, meeting Morgana's gaze, "but thank you for sticking up for me earlier. With the King. You didn't have to."
At the reminder, her smile faded slightly. "I did. I'm just sorry you were caught. You almost had everyone fooled."
I smiled disappointedly. "Yeah, well... Arthur has been too kind, letting me off so easily."
Morgana glanced out at the prince as she spoke, "He has a good heart. Better than his father's." After a moment, she looked back to me with a sad smile. "I'm sorry nobody will know good you really are. It's not fair."
I shrugged, downing the rest of my drink before putting the goblet to the side. "I'll know. That's enough for now. It's all people like me will ever get so... I'll take it."
Her eyes softened. "You deserve more, Y/N."
I didn't know what to say, and stupidly enough, her attention was making me more nervous than usual. I avoided her gaze, hoping my face wasn't turning pink.
"So, what will you and your brother do now?" she asked curiously. "Stay in Camelot perhaps?"
"I would have loved that," I admitted, "but it's probably not for the best. What with the King wanting to kill me and everything."
She rolled her eyes, suppressing the urge to laugh. "A bit dramatic, Y/N."
I tilted my head, quirking an eyebrow. "Is it?"
This time, a laugh escaped her and, gosh, it was quite literally music to my ears.
"You have a pretty laugh," I told her, and this only served to make her hide a shy smile as she looked away. I admired her for one of the last times, before answering her previous question. "Y/B/N and I will figure something out, I'm sure."
"Involving a sword?" she asked playfully.
"No doubt," I agreed. "I love it too much."
She nodded. "Good. A talent like yours deserves to be used."
I exhaled quietly, insides warming at her words. "Thank you, Morgana."
"Where did you learn to fight like you do, may I ask?"
"My father taught Y/B/N and I when we were young," I shared, surprised she'd asked. "We were farmers in our village, but it was raided one day. We had to leave and fighting was all we had afterwards. I took to it better than Y/B/N, but he is plenty good with a sword, too."
"Where are your parents now?" she asked.
"They died in the raid," I said awkwardly, unsure how to say it without sounding like I needed her pity.
Frowning, she shook her head. "I'm sorry to hear that."
I shrugged. "Don't be. It doesn't make me sad to talk about it. Honest."
She looked between my eyes, smiling sympathetically. "I'm sure they'd be very proud of you and how good you are a fighter. Or at least, to know you beat the Prince of Camelot."
I smiled, which soon turned into a laugh when I realised she was trying to lighten the situation. "I hope so."
"It's unfortunate you'll be leaving after tonight," she said with a disappointed sigh, "but I do hope our paths will cross again soon. I was beginning to take a liking to you, Y/N."
My own smile widened, my heart fluttering a little at her words. I bowed once more, saying, "My lady." And when I put out my hand, she gave me hers and I kissed the top of it gently. I looked up and saw she was smiling down at me, green eyes bright and dazzling and making me second guess leaving Camelot.
Suddenly, somebody moved into the side of me, forcing me to drop Morgana's hand and straighten up. I realised it was Y/B/N, looking unimpressed.
"Seriously? In front of everyone?" he muttered, referring to my overtly flirtatious behaviour.
I couldn't help but laugh, too overjoyed to care. "Everybody is distracted by the party."
He grumbled to himself before the two of us faced Morgana. She was tempted to laugh at our encounter, but hid it behind a smile.
"I'll miss the both of you," she admitted, looking between us. "Good luck with what's next. And enjoy tonight."
Y/B/N nodded, smiling appreciatively, and I let my eyes linger on hers for as long as she'd let me. As she turned and walked away, I watched after her dreamily, wanting so badly to grab her hand and whisk her away.
"I wish I could ask her to dance," I said with a sigh.
"You're so stupid," Y/B/N said, used to my behaviour when I was like this.
I grinned, looking at Morgana once more before letting Y/B/N drag me away to find some food. I was certain I'd never forget her, no matter where I ended up.
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6 months later...
"We seriously need to invest in a good horse," I complained to Y/B/N as we trekked through the forest. "My feet are giving out on me."
"All you do is complain," he said disapprovingly. "The exercise is good for us!"
I rolled my eyes, adjusting the cotton mask tied around my head and covering my nose and mouth. "Tell that to my swollen feet, mate."
He chuckled beside me, his eyes creasing over his mask, the only indication in addition to his obnoxious laugh that he was amused. "I promise that I'll pay extra for a nice hot bath at the next town so you can soak your feet. Sound good?"
I grumbled to myself as I used my sword to cut away at an annoying branch. "You better bloody do. I'm too young to be limping like I–"
"Shut up!" he whispered suddenly, cutting me off.
I fell quiet, detecting the seriousness in his voice, and my ears perked up to hear what he had. There were male voices in the distance, too far for us to make out specifics. I kept my sword in hand as Y/B/N unsheathed his quietly, exchanging looks.
"Could be bandits," he muttered with caution.
"We'll avoid that way then," I told him, sticking to our usual plan.
He nodded in agreement. "There's a way that leads around the stream and will–"
But he was cut off by a short girlish scream, followed by grunting and laughter. My expression hardened when I realised the bandits must have taken someone, an innocent woman no doubt. We couldn't leave her to fend for herself, and as soon as my gaze met Y/B/N's, he was already nodding in agreement.
"You got your knives?" he asked, looking as peeved as I did.
"Uh-huh. Let's go teach these arseholes a lesson."
The two of us moved quickly and quietly, having moved around in these woods for long enough to know how to keep silent and blend in with our surroundings. The bandits' voices grew louder as we approached and we realised it was a small camp. There were a few tents set up, a campfire in the middle and half a dozen or so men hanging about, either sharpening their swords or having a quick drink.
Y/B/N and I waited, eyes taking in the scene to see what we were dealing with. Seven men were present, with three standing on the outskirts and keeping guard and the rest milling around the camp. I scoured the campsite for any sign of a woman, certain I'd heard one, and that's when my eyes widened at a familiar sight.
Y/B/N grabbed my arm, signalling that he could see her too. It was the Lady Morgana and her handmaiden, the two of them bound with rope and sat back to back on the ground. Their clothes were dirty and raggedy, like they'd put up a fight, and there was a single bandit circling them like a predator does with its prey. His sickening smile put them at unease and I so desperately wanted to slice him to pieces there and then, but we had to be tactical.
Tugging me back, Y/B/N motioned for me to follow him. We backtracked, a fair distance away so that we could coordinate quickly.
"How did they get here?" he asked what I was thinking, before shaking his head. "Never mind. We need to get them out of here. If they've managed to kidnap the King's ward and have set up camp, that means they're making a trade."
"I know," I said with discomfort. "We can make this quick and there'll be nobody left. No trade."
He nodded in agreement. "Okay, so this is what we're gonna do..."
After discussing a quick plan, Y/B/N and I split up to circle the camp on different sides. He was dealing with the bandit guarding one side, whilst I dealt with the other two. Thankfully, we didn't have to get close just yet as we had throwing knives. All I had to do was line up my shot and...
His body hit the ground like a sack of potatoes and I immediately moved onto the next guard. This one was trickier considering he wouldn't stand still, constantly pacing. I almost had my throw perfected when there was a shout on the other side and both the bandit and I turned to see what it was.
"We're under attack, you idiot, help!" one of the bandits called to my target, and I groaned inwardly, knowing Y/B/N had been unfortunately noticed.
Running forward, I was able to take one bandit by surprise as the six others tried to circle Y/B/N. I stabbed one with ease before they began to realise there was two of us, and then I was suddenly fighting three bandits at once. The past six months of taking up odd jobs, plus years of training with a sword, put me at an advantage and I was able to move around without faltering once. In under a minute, all three of them were either dead or bleeding out. Y/B/N had managed the same and we both let out a deep breath, lowering our swords.
The muffled screaming from my left made me turn to see Morgana and her handmaiden, Gwen, staring at us with wide, terrified eyes. They were scrambling backwards on the ground, still sat down and tied back to back, and I tried to step forward to untie them, but they weren't having it.
"It's okay, we're not going to hurt you," Y/B/N said calmly, bending down to pull the pieces of cloth from their mouths. "Just let us–"
"Stay away from us!" Morgana yelled, teary eyed and protective of her handmaiden. "Don't touch us!"
I wondered why she was so scared, and then realised she'd just watched Y/B/N and I murder a bunch of bandits and couldn't see who it was.
"Y/B/N, our masks!" I said to him sharply, and his eyebrows raised with realisation before we both pulled them down to our necks. I looked back to Morgana and Gwen, saying, "It's okay, it's just us! It's Y/N!"
Their fear faded instantly, replaced by shock, and thankfully they let me lean down to cut their ropes from their hands. Y/B/N and I helped them to stand, before I looked over them both with concern.
"Are you hurt?" I asked worriedly. "They didn't touch you, did they? We heard a scream."
"They were teasing us, but no, they didn't touch us, thankfully," Gwen answered, wiping at her eyes. "Thank you. Both of you."
"Are you?" Morgana asked, eyes looking me up and down.
"Am I what?"
"Hurt, you idiot," Y/B/N mumbled, and then I widened my eyes.
"Oh, right! No, no I'm fine, don't worry," I assured her, a little embarrassed and flustered from her tense stare, before looking to Gwen. "I don't believe we've officially met. I'm Y/N."
"The one who beat Prince Arthur in the tournament, right?" she asked, recognition flashing across her expression.
I began to grin. "Why yes, that is–"
"Y/N, not the time or place," Y/B/N cut me off with a knowing look.
I sighed, unfortunately knowing he was right, and changed the subject. "Right. We need to get you both out of here. There could be more of them and we don't know who's going to meet them here. It's not safe."
They nodded in agreement, but before I could even think to lead them out of there, Y/B/N suddenly let out a groan and hit the ground. My eyes widened when I saw an arrow sticking out of his shoulder, and both Morgana and Gwen let out a scream, eyes staring ahead. I didn't waste a second as I grabbed my throwing knife and turned around, throwing it in the direction of the arrow. One of the bandits, heavily injured but not quite dead, had retrieved his bow and arrow. Now he was bleeding out from his neck thanks to my great aim.
"Y/B/N," I rushed out, leaning down to see if he was okay, but his injury didn't look great and my heart was beating way too quickly. "Y/B/N, talk to me!"
"I'm okay," he mumbled, voice strained with pain. In an attempt to push himself up, he hit the ground again and let out a sigh.
"Don't move– just– just wait," I told him, needing him to stay still so I could think.
The arrow was only stuck halfway, not too deep, but if I removed it he would bleed out. We had some time, maybe enough to get him back to Camelot with the others. But not long.
"Can you walk?" I asked him, before attempting to help him stand.
Morgana and Gwen helped on his other side, standing him up before he leaned against me for a moment. His face was scrunched with discomfort, but he looked well enough for now.
"If we're gonna go, we need to go now," he said with a nod. "I'm good. Let's go."
I worried, glancing over him, hesitant to get moving like this. He couldn't hold a weapon in this state, and I couldn't protect him and the others.
"Here, lean on me for support," Gwen encouraged, already moving to his uninjured side. Shooting me a look, she said, "I'll help him walk. Let's get out of this horrid place, please."
I nodded in agreement, pulling my mask back over my face. Unsheathing my sword, I motioned for them to stay behind me before leading the way, on high alert as we carefully walked through the forest.
When I was certain we had cleared enough distance between the bandit camp and us, I stopped fretting and began to ease up a little.
"You okay back there, Y/B/N?" I called, glancing over my shoulder.
"Just peachy," he quipped with half a smile.
I returned it, though his clammy, paling skin was worrying me. Trying to distract myself, I faced forward again, though felt Morgan's presence at my side.
"I'm glad to see you again after so long," I said to her with a quiet voice, so the others couldn't hear. "I do wish it were under better circumstances however."
She glanced at me, a small smile on her lips. "Me too. Gwen and I... we're lucky you and your brother were here. We were out riding when the knights watching us were ambushed. Then we were taken and that's when you found us. That was a day ago."
I frowned. "That's horrible. But don't worry, it'll all be okay now. We're gonna make it back to Camelot and you'll be safe again in no time."
"Thank you," she murmured.
"I'm only sorry I don't have a horse and carriage to help ease the journey," I joked, wanting to lighten the mood.
Her smile grew, a genuine, beautiful one that warmed my heart, and gosh, had I missed seeing it all this time.
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bi-bard · 8 months
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Unreal Unearth - Hozier Writing Challenge Masterlist
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Hello! Here's the writing challenge masterlist for Hozier's "Unreal Unearth".
This is easily one of the most beautiful albums I've ever listened to it. It is full of gorgeous lyrics and music. I hope that the stories I have constructed for it can reflect that.
I hope you guys enjoy these stories!
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De Selby (Pt. 1)
And Sit Unseen, With Only the Inner Upheld Jack Kline X Reader [Supernatural] Summary: Two Nephilims find themselves taking shelter with the Winchesters. However, no safety and security could match up to true connection and understanding.
De Selby (Pt. 2)
I Wanna Fade Away with You Dick Grayson X Reader [HBO's Titan] Summary: (Y/n) and Dick's connection was one to be envied. By friends and family and anyone who had known them. This connection is good until it seems to be turning Dick into someone different. Now, the biggest question is whether or not that change is bad.
First Time
Some Part of Me Came Must Have Died the Final Time You Called Me, "Baby" Joel Miller X Reader [HBO's The Last of Us] Summary: Joel is offered a rare glimpse of hope after the apocalypse had started. However, the universe can pull away signs of hope just as fast it can offer them.
Francesca
If I Could Hold You for a Minute, I'd Go Through It Again Sam Winchester X Angel!Reader [Supernatural] Summary: Love can lead to the sacrifice of many things.
I, Carrion (Icarian)
If I Should Fall, On that Day, I Only Pray, Don't Fall Away From Me Alina Starkov X Reader [Shadow & Bone] Summary: Alina never wanted to drag (Y/n) into a battle that should have been hers to fight. However, (Y/n)'s own stubbornness led to them being on the front lines when the time came. All that could be done was hope that they could find a way out of the darkness surrounding them.
Eat Your Young
It's Quicker and Easier to Eat Your Young Peaky Blinders X Child!Reader [Peaky Blinders] Summary: A new gang attempts to put down roots in Birmingham, much to the displeasure of the Shelbys. However, as tensions rise, more is revealed about this new gang... including some concerning cracks in the foundation.
Damage Gets Done
You and I Had Nothing to Show but the Best of the World in the Palm of Our Hand Daisy Jones X Reader [Daisy Jones & the Six] Summary: In which two dear friends find themselves face-to-face years after they lost contact with each other and it's as if a day had never truly passed. Except that it did. The only question will be what they will do now that it had and they were both such different people.
Who We Are
And the Hardest Part is Who We Are Nikolai Lantsov X Reader [Shadow & Bone] Summary: A long line of unfortunate events leads two old friends to learn more about each other and themselves.
Son of Nyx
Son of Nyx Crowley X Reader [Good Omens] Summary: Crowley is forced to find a newly fallen angel and ensure that they are brought down to Hell. Through the fear-induced chase, an act of kindness finds its place between Crowly and the new demon.
All Things End
And Just Knowin' that Everything Will End Should Not Change Our Plans Merlin X Reader [BBC's Merlin] Summary: A story of love, loss, and accepting the inevitable.
To Someone From a Warm Climate (Uiscefhuarithe)
And Darlin', All My Dreamin' has Only Been Given a Name Anthony Bridgerton X Reader [Bridgerton] Summary: When Anthony goes from perfectly friendly to all too distant, (Y/n) is left scrambling for some kind of explanation. The only question will be how long it takes for Anthony to provide such an answer.
Butchered Tongue
A Butchered Tongue Still Singin' Here Above the Ground Morgana X Reader [BBC's Merlin] Summary: Morgana escapes from Camelot after her attempt to tear apart the kingdom and kill Uther. Now alone, she finds some kindness in (Y/n), who may end up being far more important than Morgana would have ever considered.
Anything But
I Would Do Everything Just to Run Away The Corinthian X Reader [The Sandman] Summary: A dream is convinced to follow a nightmare out of the safety of the Dreaming. They learn just how much of a mistake that was... and how careful they must be to get home.
Abstract (Psychopomp)
All My Love and Terror Balanced Between Those Eyes Will Graham X Reader [NBC's Hannibal] Summary: A collection of nightmares that have been haunting Will the most recently.
Unknown/Nth
And There are Some People, Love, Who are Better Unknown The Master X Reader [Doctor Who] Summary: [End of Season 12] The Master was known for doing whatever was necessary to get what he wanted. However, after so much time together, (Y/n) wanted to believe that they would be offered some kind of mercy. Oh, how wrong they were.
First Light
But After This I'm Never Gonna Be the Same and I Am Never Going Back Again Eleventh Doctor X Reader [Doctor Who] Summary: (Y/n) had never known true peace like they did with the Doctor. They had never known such support, such acceptance, such love. What will happen when (Y/n) learns that their perfect existence isn't all that they thought it was?
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Navigation Guide
What I Write For
Some Original Characters
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Merlin reacting to his crush talking about Magic in a postive way , saying things like "I dont mind if my s/o had magic" I can just imagine merlin being like 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Oh absolutely 😁
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Merlin’s Reaction to his Crush Talking About Magic in a Positive Way Headcanons
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-Oh this boy would be so joyful. To hear someone he holds deep feelings for talk about magic in such a positive way would get him to have childlike excitement. Heck, even Arthur would notice his glee.
-Picture how he was with Freya, but multiply that by ten.
-Unlike the cursed girl, you didn’t have to hide. You were living your life freely in Camelot. A nice peaceful life that Merlin is always scared of messing up due to his magical abilities.
-But to hear that you wouldn’t mind if your significant other had magic made him feel hopeful. When he first developed a crush on you, he was pretty certain that he was going to have to hide his magic for the rest of his life.
-Now, he has to think of a way to show it to you.
-We all know that if he ever confessed, he would use his magic. It would be a two for one sort of thing after learning this knowledge.
-As stated, he would become a happy sap for most of the time. This would lead to Gauis and Arthur being beyond confused. You would be the only one thinking it’s normal because Merlin is always happy around you.
-Also, Merlin doesn’t mind the knights teasing him about you anymore. He knows he has nothing to fear.
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ssadumba55 · 4 months
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Masterlist: Masterlists
Masterlist hashtag: #milo's masterlists
On mobile for me, sometimes the masterlist tag doesn't work so just to make my masterlists more accessible to those looking for them, here's a masterlist of them all.
Jurassic Franchise
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Dreamworks
Riordanverse
Looney Tunes
Danganronpa
Kingdom Hearts
Criminal Minds
Merlin
Scooby-Doo
Anne with an E
Walt Disney Animated Pictures Pt. 1 - Peter Pan, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, A Goofy Movie, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis: The Lost Empire & Wish
Walt Disney Animated Pictures Pt. 2 - Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Mickey & Friends & Winnie the Pooh
Pixar
Disney Live Action Movies
Disney TVA
It
Stranger Things
Night at the Museum
Super Mario
Archived Fandoms
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