#merlin’s first encounter with mordred is SAVING HIS LIFE

[prue84]

(Hakka & Dragoneyes’s) Merlin AUs  |  Royal (dragon) husbands

AU in which a series of canon divergences lead to Arthur surviving the mortal wound inflicted him by Mordred at Camlann and, with the help of Merlin who then becomes his Prince Consort, bringing the golden age foretold by the prophecies.

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Part I, Chapter 01 [1/8]

1st canon divergence, Lancelot du Lac: Lancelot's selfless sacrifice is rewarded.

Lancelot is returned by magic, instead of necromancy, to fulfil his destiny at Arthur's side. And what seemed to be the written fate of Camelot is changed.

(Ficlet and links to AO3/SquidgeWorld under the read more) (More Royal Dragon Husbands AU here)

The triangle of love

Through the sacrifice of her sister Morgause, who happily gives up her life in a last gesture of both love and revenge, Morgana tears open the Veil between the worlds, bringing chaos and pain throughout the realm of mortals. To seal the Veil again, another sacrifice has to be made: a sacrifice that Arthur is ready to make and Merlin is set to prevent. Lancelot, the bravest and most noble of them all, to save the lives of his king and his friend Merlin, steps through the Veil instead, thus restoring the equilibrium. The ultimate sacrifice of the knight is greatly mourned by all the people Lancelot's presence has touched during his stay at Camelot, its weight forever heavy on the shoulders of three people who blame themselves for Lancelot's ultimate choice. * Months later happiness has returned to embrace Camelot. Arthur's grief for the tragic loss of his father is fading, and he feels it has finally come the time for the woman he loves to be officially introduced to the court. Trusting his counsel, Arthur confesses his uncle Agravaine that he wishes to marry Guinevere, and plans to soon propose. Caution, suggests Agravaine, wait for the mourning to end. The way must be paved first, for a court to accept a servant as their future queen. Patience, the uncle says. But the treacherous Agravaine, distressed for the worrisome development, is quick to inform the one he pledged his loyalty to, Morgana Pendragon. The Witch shudders, for the dreams that plague her sleep are about to become reality. She will not allow for a servant to sit on her throne, and Morgana knows how to prevent the dreaded images from happen. Morgana was friends to Guinevere, Morgana knew Guinevere's secrets. Morgana will use those secrets to strike at Guinevere, where Guinevere hurts the most. When she laid on the brink of death after her encounter with Emrys, Morgana met her sister Morgause in the Spirit World. In her hand, Morgause had a coin to offer, the price of a soul. Morgana held to the precious artefact, in the hopes to perhaps one day find a way to return her beloved sister to life, to rescue her from the darkness of the existence in the world of the spirits. But Morgana must stop Guinevere from becoming queen of Camelot, and she knows only one way to prevent it. The Dochraid has spoken, revealing the true power of the magical coin, offering the promise of owning the very soul of a mortal, a slave to a mistress. Morgana reaches for the Pool of Nemhain, the Last of The Five Gateways that separate the world of the mortals from the world of the dead, and tosses the coin into the dark waters. But it's not a man who raises from the waters. It's a woman instead, clothed in a black cloak and bearing a staff, the fabric pitch black as the still water of the lake. Not a woman, a deity. A goddess Morgana already knows, for they have met once. The Cailleach, gatekeeper to the Spirit World. She has words to say, and a warning: her most treasured wish will be fulfilled, but the human male will not be the means to achieve it, for the one who has died will not be a Shade to be brought back to the land of the livings. Morgana does not understand, for she has followed the Dochraid instructions, and a coin has been paid for a soul, a soul she now owns. But the Cailleach can not be forced, for not even a High Priestess has such a power as the one the Cailleach wields. If the Cailleach does not want for a dead human to leave her domain, not even the last High Priestess of the Old Religion can force her. Morgana weeps for the coin she lost, for the ownership she has been denied, for a sister she will never rescue, but agrees to leave. The Cailleach has spoken, Morgana trust her wish will be fulfilled. That the Old Religion itself will prevent Guinevere from marrying Arthur and ascend to a throne that isn't hers to own. But the price has been paid, a soul is allowed to leave the Spirit World. Not as a Shade, but in flesh and spirit – whole as when death has claimed them. From the stillness a man emerges. Naked and confused, a kind voice still ringing in his head. Blurred memories but a mission. Return home, return to where his place is. It takes days, weeks, but an extraordinary surprise awaits Camelot: Sir Lancelot, the man who had offered his life to save the kingdom, has returned. Little he knows about the how and why he has been allowed back into the realm of the mortals: he only remembers the warm embrace of waters shining of silver, and a warm voice explaining him that his destiny was not fulfilled, that he wasn't meant to die yet. His noble sacrifice showed the truest nature of his heart, that feminine voice said, and he was granted another chance to live his life as brave and fair man between mortals. And thus he awoke again, and he was laying on the shores of a lake, with the urgency to find his way back to Camelot, the knowledge that his destiny is entwined to the fate of the one he twice left a prince and now finds a king. A return such as his is unprecedented, for nobody can cross the Veil – not in the opposite direction than the only one nature commands. Merlin, suspicious, looks in his books for a way to explain what looks a miracle. Necromancy, is the answer to his search. A way to reveal the true nature of a Shade. Merlin dreads the moment when Lancelot will walk on the mark, dreads to see the painted spiral glow. But the magic symbol doesn't react when Lancelot walks over the circle. The Lancelot leaving Merlin's room is whole – the one and only Sir Lancelot, Knight of Camelot. The miracle is welcomed by his old friends the knights, who rejoice for the chance to have their group whole again, as is welcomed by the king, who is given the opportunity to properly thank the hero who saved Camelot. As for Merlin, he has been given back the only guardian of his magical secret and is lonely no more. But the unexpected return means the most to Guinevere, who carried on her small but strong shoulders the weight of those last words, that plead she imposed on Lancelot. Arthur would not be alive, for it weren't for Lancelot's sacrifice. But his return also awakens old feelings that were believed forgotten. As days and then weeks pass by, and as Arthur grows the courage to stand against his uncle and share what is now his decision, Gwen grows uncertain of her feelings, torn between the man she promised herself to, and the one she can't forget. Lancelot anguishes in silence over a woman he never deemed himself worthy of, resigned to forever be the silent guardian, devoted to his lady and quiet in his love. Arthur, unsuspecting, is making preparations to propose to Gwen and then introduce her to the court as the woman who shall be their queen. Merlin, the shadow that all sees, watches from afar, unable to stand further as three of his dearest friends struggle, their lives entwined in an rope that threatens to choke them all. Lancelot, noble soul, deserves his chance at happiness, he shouldn't settle for the sidelines, resigned himself once again in a self-imposed sacrifice out of a misplaced sense of loyalty. Gwen, a heart full of love, has the right to choose her own future, to make an informed choice, entitled the freedom of picking her own path without anyone meddling, without anyone making that choice for her. Arthur, the beloved king, should never have to lay awake at night, wondering if the woman sleeping at his side picked him out of a lack of choice, believing that he will forever be the second best, nor he should never doubt his trust for a knight, in fear his best one holds the hearth of his queen. Merlin, the shadow that fights against fate itself, decides it is come the time for Lancelot and Guinevere to confront each other, to bare their hearts. Twice Lancelot fled from an honest talk, twice Gwen was forbidden to face his first love and understand if she was ready to let him go and for Arthur to take his place. Twice Lancelot backed down, for Arthur to pave the way in Guinevere's heart. A miracle has happened, and neither Lancelot nor Guinevere can waste such a precious gift. Arthur is planning to propose to Gwen against his uncle's advice, Merlin knows about it. Merlin will not allow for Guinevere to say yes to then break Arthur's heart, if she isn't the utmost confident in where her feelings lay. Merlin will be subtle, will halt Arthur's hand and delay the romantic date in which Arthur will offer Gwen a ring, but he cannot stop Arthur forever. Lancelot and Guinevere must talk. It is with wisdom that Merlin speaks, and two friends are persuaded into the confrontation they both needed and avoided. Gwen, blessed her pure soul, reveals the bitterness she tried to stifle. Despite the years passed since, she never forgave Lancelot for leaving her without a word after everything they shared at the castle of the outlaw Hengist, she still can't forgive him for their moments of tenderness, the closeness, the love confessions in light of certain death, for making her feel loved, for making her feel conflicted, to then take everything away, leaving her alone and hurting. She can't forgive him for how he returned for Merlin and how he staid for Arthur – never for her. She can't forgive Lancelot for how he treated her like a lady to respect and cherish, she can't forgive him for making her feel like a silly, fool girl, holding on to a love hindered by destiny itself. Her whole life was influenced, changed, by his selfish decisions, pushed toward the dream of marrying a king after she had been brutally rejected a future with a man she had once truly loved. She loves Arthur with her whole being, but she can't seem to just forget what she felt for that man that was brought to her house in dire need of an armour. Lancelot, forced to this confrontation, can't withhold the truth he kept close to his heart since his return for the battle of Camelot: Guinevere is the love of his life, the woman his heart will forever belong to, but every time destiny brought them together, he elected to withdraw and fade in the shadows, so she could find happiness with a better man – at Arthur's side. Gwen is furious. Lancelot's decision deprived her of her own agency, he didn't have any right to choose for her who she wanted to love. For, if Lancelot hadn't left that one time, she might have reconsidered her relationship with Arthur. She would've chosen him – him, not Arthur. This is a reveal for the both of them, but especially for Gwen. And then the hard truth buried within the deepest, darkest corner of her thoughts, is brought to the surface. And it's a relief, after the pain, after the guilt weighting on her heart, after the sense of unworthiness toward a man who had been ready to give up his throne, his crown, his people, his whole world, just for her. She might be a servant harbouring dreams too big for her humble origins, but dumb Guinevere is not. It's easy now for her to admit that what she has with Arthur is a fairy tale that shouldn't be, for a servant can love a king, and a king can love a servant, but a kingdom cannot be ruled by a servant. Torn between the love for a knight – or a man who dreamed to become a knight – and a king – or a prince that was to become a king – she was deprived of a choice, and Lancelot is responsible for what she now knows had been the wrong choice. She's the daughter of a smith, she knows the name for each part of an armour and could help a knight to dress up better than a manservant could, but she knows nothing about politics or what's expected from a ruler. She knows empathy, she does not know how to be harsh. She knows how to wield a sword and even kill to protect an innocent, but she does not think she would ever learn how to harden her hearth and send someone to death for the safety of a kingdom. She loves Arthur with all her life, and she ever will, but they should've never been. Arthur might belong to her, but Arthur also belong to Camelot, Arthur is and will always be married to a land and its people as much as he will be to a woman. Arthur accepts her – and wants her – for everything she is, virtues and flaws, but Camelot will not. Camelot will always come between them, the needs of Camelot will tear them apart. Duty and love cannot coexist, Uther was right, in his brutal honesty. And she could never survive, should Arthur be forced to choose between her and his rightful, best destiny. Not privy to the nature of the feelings Guinevere, her beloved Gwen, still harbours for the noblest of his knights, it is a rude awakening for Arthur when Guinevere sits down with him and talks. Unable to deceive Arthur, she tells him everything, about Lancelot, about the pain she had felt the two times he left her and the happiness that washed over her when he, against all odds, returned. She tells Arthur about how her heart belongs to two men she loves with the same intensity, how she is pulled in two directions and how she fears to be torn in two pieces. She tells him about how, for as much as her heart can beat for two men, only for one she can be a proper wife. She doesn't want to be the reason why Arthur lost the trust of his people, she doesn't want to be the reason why Arthur acted like a tyrant, imposing his own wish on a resentful court, not the reason for why Arthur fought with his most trusted counsellors or found himself alone surrounded by enemies in his own castle. She doesn't want to put Arthur in the position of choosing between love and duty – he was meant to rule, and he will be a good king, she won't come between that. She won't deprive Camelot of a golden age, just to please herself and fulfil her selfish wishes – for she is but a woman, and the well-being of the people of Camelot comes first. It pains her to know they never had a chance, yes, and she is aware that a price will be paid, for feelings cannot be ripped from one's heart without suffering occurring, but with resolution she found an internal peace and she feels her is and will be the rightful choice. For the both of them. She regrets nothing but hurting him, and she'll understand if he'll hate her. She just hopes that, in time, he'll be able to forgive her and, perhaps, remember with fondness their love. Arthur's heart is broken, but he cannot find in himself the will to hate the woman he offered his heart to, nor a man who had been nothing but utmost loyal and generous since the first time they had met – a man Arthur can say he loves as much as Guinevere, though in a different way. There is nothing Arthur can blame on Guinevere: she cannot fault her for the same trait that drew him to her. Her candour is what started it all, the servant who ventured to reprimand a prince's manners, her candour is what now puts an end to it all, the torn lover who bravely confesses her secrets and faces the consequences, when leaving everything as it was would've been the easiest path. Arthur's heart is broken, but Gwen's sincerity and bravery deserves equal bravery from him, thus he agrees to let her go. As friends. It would be unbecoming to act out of spite, and Guinevere does not deserve as such. Arthur's heart is broken, but Arthur thus agrees to amicably break up a relationship that had been the utmost discreet so far, grateful for Guinevere's deep sense of loyalty. Grateful that she approached the subject before he could make the mistake of making their relationship official. Reputations of kings don't do well after a marriage pact is broken by the other party without political reason at play. The reputation of a king would not survive unscathed if the one taking the decision to break up is a fiancée of no-noble origins. Arthur Pendragon the king would survive anyway, though battered in honour and soul, but not Arthur the man. He listened to Merlin's advices, and Arthur is thankful for the way his friend suggested to not rush into the date Arthur had been planning. Grateful that he decided to apply patience for once. His heart would've never recovered, had Guinevere revealed her indecision during his proposal. To respect a man whom she still loves and will be forever dearest to her, Gwen decides to not immediately throw herself in Lancelot's arms, and the knight does his best to be nothing but noble in his feelings for the woman, so much so to ask Arthur permission to date Guinevere. He is willing to leave the kingdom, if the king he has sworn loyalty to won't be able to tolerate his presence. Aware of the toll he would ask them should he show his displeasure, Arthur gives his blessing to the blossoming new relationship between two of his dearest souls, wishing them both to find together the happiness they deserve. They do take things slow, Gwen and Lancelot, they wait a reasonable amount of time before officially becoming a couple. Lancelot understands Gwen's heart, never will use Gwen's love for Arthur against her, for she cannot blame her for a love that he feels as well. He accepts Gwen as her whole, her love for Arthur is part of herself and never he will ask her to stop caring for Arthur. Lancelot too cares for Arthur. Arthur is the prince who gave him a chance to be a knight, that twice believed in him, that made him a knight. In deference for Arthur's feelings, Lancelot keeps to a minimum affectionate gestures when in public and Arthur could see them. He is happy, Lancelot, but he does not want for his happiness to become a knife that cuts through Arthur's heart. And Arthur? Arthur will watch from afar, wishing that he too will be able to find a person to love him and him only. The one person that will put him first. * Days from Camelot, in a hut in the woods, Morgana watches a flame crackle, its warmth fending off the coldness in her body, but not the loneliness in her heart. Agravaine has left, Morgana now knows about the latest developments in the life of the little brother she despises so much. Only now, that the game has played out, the true meaning of the cryptic words of the Cailleach is revealed to her. She has obtained what she desired the most, as Guinevere will never sit on the throne of Camelot, and Lancelot was the mean to achieve such an outcome. But Lancelot wasn't the sword that pierced Arthur's heart, as she planned. Neither Gwen nor Lancelot has been banished. And if Arthur's heart is bleeding, this is a secret that her little brother will keep to himself, a hidden truth held to even the most close to him. Morgana can't find in herself the will for a smile. She has achieved what she had wished to accomplish, but it's not joy that fills her. She thought she would be pleased at the news, pleased for her visions forever adverted, for Arthur's dream of marrying for love mercilessly crushed. Instead, she feels sad. The coldness of the sorrows is what fills an heart that has long since forgot how to beat. She has lost a sister forever, a sacrifice that didn't pay, and has once again used her knowledge of a brother to play a game bigger than each of them, and a once friend was turned a mere paw in the fight between Camelot and the Old Religion. She has left a life behind, burned all bridges behind. What's left of her now is that she has no more family to support her, no true friend to comfort her. No one but a lackey, an annoying dog who yaps at her left, begging for a scrap of affection, a man second only to a king, that kneels like a servant. Only him, Agravaine, and his spare visits. And the loneliness of an empty room. For even a High Priestess, a goddess between mortals, can feel the cutting pain of solitude.

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Notes This edit dates back to 2018/2019 but was hold back because, buckle up... I couldn't work out the text part. Yes. Embarrassing, isn't it? How hard could it be write a lengthy summary/synopsis, right? Four years. Four fucking years. In the year of the lord 2022, with the yearly goal to publish as much wips and finished-but-held-back works as I can, I sat down and forced myself to give a sense to the years-old draft. But still, it took me another year to finish this. This series consists of 6 planned parts. The first one, of which this post is part of, is made of 8 chapters that cover all the canon divergences that lead to Arthur healing from his battle wound. The other five parts follow his (and Merlin's) life, the coming of the Golden Age, the birth of the new Pendragon generation, Arthur's rest and what Merlin will build during his husband's long sleep.

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Tec stuffs (aka Behind The Manip) No manip nor modification required on this one, so nothing to report. Besides the fact that, when the edit was almost posted, I decided to add further scenes to better fit with the ficlet that was expanded.

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Crossposted: Livejournal: prue84.livejournal.com/101924.html Dreamwidth: prue84.dreamwidth.org/92428.html Deviantart: deviantart.com/prue84/art/Merlin-AUs-Royal-husbands-I-Ch01-994195209 AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/51559840/chapters/130316755 SquidgeWorld: squidgeworld.org/works/46714/chapters/97824

#Merlin BBC #Arthur Pendragon #Merlin #Gwen #The Knights #Morgana #ArWen #Gwencelot #AUs (Merlin) #AU: The Royal Husbands #Series: Merlin AUs #Edits #|| #bbc merlin #gwenrthur #arthur/gwen #arthur x gwen #gwen x lancelot #guinevere pendragon #Lancelot

[weakforarwen]

Arwen Deleted Scenes

I cannot believe they deleted that Gwen and Arthur scene from The Wicked Day! Everything about it is excellent. 

First of all, Arthur takes Gwen by the arm from where she’s nursing Uther to go somewhere safe to talk, which is already kind of cute; even the bit of dialogue in front of Uther’s bed is great. Arthur inquires about his father’s condition and Gwen asks why he hasn’t yet left with Merlin. It’s so domestic. Arthur was going with Merlin to find Dragoon, but he had to talk to Gwen first because he “will not keep secrets” from her. The trust. They tell each other everything. I already knew Arthur and Gwen spent a lot more time together than what we saw, but this just confirmed it.

Secondly, Arthur asks for Gwen’s opinion on using magic to save Uther, since it’s her opinion that he values “above all others”. WBK. This is exactly what Arthur tells Uther in The Death Song of Uther Pendragon. 

Third, we hear a bit of Gwen’s opinion on magic. To her, magic was behind her father’s death, and although that isn’t quite true, she has that in common with Arthur whose mother died as collateral in a spell. In The Disir, when Arthur had the choice to either accept the Old Religion or let Mordred die, he sought advice from Gwen who was fearful of magic, more so than Arthur. I felt a bit confused watching that scene, because I didn’t know where Gwen stood on using magic but had assumed she viewed it more positively. Despite being Uther’s son, Arthur himself is more open to magic, but Gwen’s had less encounters with it than Arthur, so she only views magic with fear and suspicion. She’s a smart girl, so I figured she’d be more open minded, but I guess she had no reason to be. It was somewhat surprising to realize this. Other than those born with magic, no one in Camelot accepts it. But I don’t believe for a second that Gwen would’ve immediately exposed or condemned someone with magic unless she knew they were dangerous. 

Lastly, this scene is incredibly important for Arthur and the show itself! Arthur’s destiny is to unite Albion and restore magic to Camelot, but this was the first time in the show he spoke of magic in a neutral, if not positive, way. This scene and the identical one in The Disir were the few times Arthur explicitly questioned the laws regarding magic and gave us any evidence that he could one day actually bring about the future Merlin so desperately believed in. It’s ridiculous that they cut this scene out.

[Edit: In the scene, Arthur also touches Gwen’s face as a goodbye before walking away! That was super tender and cute.]

I also read a few other nice, small moments from The Wicked Day script that I don’t believe were even filmed. Gwen wished Arthur a happy birthday (when I watched the episode I wondered why the most important person in Arthur’s life hadn’t done so...), in Arthur’s coronation he exchanged a “poignant” look with Gwen, and Gwen was by Arthur’s side when the King died. I wonder how many small, but relevant, scenes were cut from the series, especially Arwen ones? These clearly show the close bond that exists between Arthur and Gwen, and that they’re in a happy and normal relationship despite class differences.

I also watched the cut scenes from Lancelot Du Lac. 

There was one frankly unnecessary scene of Arthur getting “cold feet” about proposing to Gwen. It was offensive and cliché that Arthur was even questioning his decision, but Merlin actually had the nerve to hold up a bunch of coats that were supposed to represent Arthur’s different choices (Elena, Gwen, etc.). As if women are objects to hang off of a man’s arm! As if Gwen was simply the best choice among all the women he could’ve chosen! That’s fucking ridiculous. He doesn’t want to marry anyone else, because he only loves Gwen. He doesn’t need to hear his “options”. And why would he question his decision to marry Gwen aside from the possible repercussions of marrying a servant? Merlin told Arthur it was normal to get cold feet and fear being with the same woman for the rest of his life, and Arthur was like “That must be it!”. Well, I’m sorry, Arthur, was there someone else you wanted to be with instead? Would you have rather had a different woman every week? Have at it! No one’s stopping you. This scene is downright offensive to Gwen and to women in general. Since when are men the ones who stand to lose something when they marry? It us, women, who forsake much of our freedom. I wished Gwen had witnessed this heartwarming moment between Arthur and Merlin and knew how Arthur really felt about marrying her. God, this scene made so angry. I’m glad it got cut.

In the same episode, they cut a small scene of Gwen telling Gaius how weird Lancelot’s return felt after she’d mourned him. While the scene wouldn’t have contributed a whole lot to the episode, it showed Gwen wasn’t at all interested in Lancelot. The scene ended with Arthur kissing her on the cheek and her going inside his tent, so I wish that bit, at least, had made it. There wasn’t enough normal Gwen in the episode. I also wish we’d had more scenes of the wedding preparations and scenes of Arthur and Gwen discussing their marriage. The writers were obviously only interested in the Lancelot drama. It reminds me of With All My Heart. Even in Arwen episodes, Arwen, and particularly Gwen, are sidelined.  

#bbc merlin #bbc arwen #arwen #gwen pendragon #arthur pendragon #merlin #the wicked day #the wicked day commentary #lancelot du lac commentary #lancelot du lac

[mooonwaffle]

Merlin/Mordred Fanfiction Recommendations

Warlocks, Druids and Shenanigans by Hecate_Trivia

Word count: 13,095

Complete? Yes

Summary: Mordred and Merlin hate each other, Arthur decides to do something about that. He thinks it does nothing but in the end he pushed the first domino.

Notes: Very comedic and fun read!

Fighting Fate* by nobodyzhuman

Word count: 11,000

Complete? No

Summary: He figured it would be easy; Mordred had disappeared years ago after all. But a chance encounter one night leads to the unexpected... Mordred being knighted for saving Arthur's life. Slowly Merlin starts to wonder if things can be different. He failed to help Morgana, and she became an enemy. Maybe, if he does things differently, Mordred won't follow her path.

Notes: I can tell this story is going to become one of my all time favs! Also, #sub/dom!:)

*Title subject to change

Try to Change the Ending by phyllisverse

Word count: 51,429

Complete? Yes

Summary: Merlin tells the truth instead of lying, and has to deal with unexpected consequences. Maybe, just maybe, he can learn to stop letting prophecies run his life.

Notes: I have yet to finish this, but it’s super great!

Master’s Pet by That_Canadian_eh

Word count: 35912

Complete? Yes*

Summary: Merlin has a Petplay kink. He hasn't had a Dom since Will, Mordred offered to take that spot. Lots of fluff and eventual smut.

Notes: Absolutely adorable, even if you’re not into pet play. I’m not and I still really, really enjoyed this. Super kind author too!

*Abandoned, but has basic plot points for ending

Blue and Gold by Erin1324

Word count: 41092

Complete? No

Summary: Mordred and Merlin have a decent relationship, Merlin still doesn't trust Mordred fully, but he starts to. Merlin chooses to ignore what the seer told him, figuring that Mordred hasn't done anything yet, and if they become closer maybe he won't.

Notes: Enjoyable fic!

More recommendations coming soon! Enjoy and let me know what you think :) For some reason the links don't work on the dashboard. Just go to https://mooonwaffle.tumblr.com/ and you'll be able to click them.

#merlinxmordred #Fanfiction #Fanfic rec #Merlin/Mordred Recs #Fanfic #Merlin #BBC #Merlin fanfic #Merdred #Gay fanfiction #fanfiction recommendation #archive of our own #Wattpad #fanfic recommendation #All Recommendations #Recommendations #allrecommendations

[panharmonium]

okay, honest question about 5.11 -

are we seriously supposed to watch this episode and still come down on arthur’s side?

i’m not saying that’s what the show wants us to do.  on the contrary, i think they actually do a pretty good job this episode of NOT hammering us in the face with “you’re supposed to root for camelot,” which i appreciate, because there have definitely been other times when they’ve approached the moral dilemma of magical oppression and have kind of punked out at the end - most noticeably in ‘the sorcerer’s shadow,’ when they finally force us to look merlin’s cognitive dissonance in the eye by putting him in the position of saving uther from a magical youth fighting for freedom, and then they back off from that uncomfortable question by having kilgharrah say “you, like i, must hold hope that arthur will bring about a new age, an age where the likes of you and i are respected once again.”  

they don’t quite do that in this episode, which i really appreciate, because i just cannot see how they would have been able to pull it off without sounding ridiculously disingenuous.

arthur is WRONG.  

(i’ll get to merlin later, he’s...he’s got a whole different issue going on, but let’s just deal with arthur first.)

that whole conversation where he interrogates kara in front of the court - just look at it:

were you part of a cohort of saxons who attacked an arms shipment bound for camelot?

yes.

and were you acting under the orders of morgana pendragon?

what i did, i did for myself.  for my people, and for our right to be free.

i have no quarrel with the druids. 

i have spent my life on the run because of my beliefs, and seen those i have loved killed.

once, maybe.  but i’m not my father.

you don’t kill those with magic?  it is not i, arthur pendragon, who needs to answer for my crimes.  it is you.  you and your father have brutally and mercilessly heaped misery on my kind.  it is you who has turned a peaceful people to war, and it is you and camelot that will pay the price.

are we supposed to look at this girl and condemn her?  nothing she says is wrong.  

whenever we encounter these magical rebel types, the show always tries to play it like ‘well uhhhhhh they’re a little extreme......i mean......they kill people 0.0,’ as if camelot’s regime hasn’t been killing magical people all along.  like - kara stabs that soldier when she’s escaping from the cells, and the show kind of plays mordred’s reaction as...‘omg she killed someone oh no what a baddie,’ but dude!  the soldiers are about to kill her!!!!!  she’s running for her life!  killing a guard is nothing merlin and arthur haven’t done a hundred times, when escaping from captivity on their own adventures, but it’s never been framed as some sort of evil thing, for them.  why is kara the only one branded as a sinner?  a knight’s life isn’t more valuable than any of the children uther drowned.  a knight’s murder isn’t more deserving of reprisal.  

the girl’s murdered innocent men in cold blood.  we are at war.  i must be resolute.

we hear arthur say that and we kind of just want to shake him like - CAMELOT has murdered innocent people in cold blood!  if arthur can use “we are at war” to justify killing someone who has magic, then the same justification should apply to magic-users attempting to kill him.  camelot declared war on magic-users decades ago.  these people are fighting for their lives.

arthur is showing his father’s reasoning here.  his own rules don’t apply to him.  his rationale, his justifications, they only go one way.  there is so much to pick apart in his response to this situation - he tries to make it sound like ‘the problem isn’t magic, it’s that you murdered some guys,’ (he tells kara “you stand before the court not because of an act of sorcery or sedition, but because of an act of murder”) but literally in the previous episode he sends out a squadron to hunt down finna (and merlin, unknowingly) just because gaius said finna practiced the old religion.  

finna had killed no one.  she’d done absolutely nothing wrong.  but arthur went after her and said she ‘must be found and brought to trial.”

brought to trial?  for WHAT????  she hadn’t DONE anything.  nothing except be a follower of the old religion.

and his hypocrisy!  ‘it is [people like morgana] that have terrorized camelot and forced us to outlaw such practices’ - really, arthur?  literally two episodes ago, you went the cauldron of arianrhod and used magic to save your wife from an enchantment.  at the beginning of season 5, you used magic to summon your father’s ghost.  at the beginning of season 4, you used magic to try to save uther’s life.  

arthur has always been willing to use magic for his own purposes, when it suits him.  all while continuing to restrict others from doing the same.

this show is big on pushing the narrative that “arthur’s different from uther” - and he is - but how different, really?  seriously.  in the end, how different are they?

i feel like because we are fond of him - because we’ve gotten to know him personally, in settings where we can temporarily forget the impact of his policies - we’re sometimes asked to sort of look past the real harm that is constantly being done in his name.  like - ‘it’s okay for us to let it slide when arthur persecutes people with magic, because he has valid reasons to think magic is a threat.’  but what, then it’s not okay for someone like kara to want him taken out?  

she has valid reasons to think ARTHUR is a threat.  he IS a threat!!!  to people like her!  that’s the reality.  these people have every justified reason to want arthur off the throne.  they have every rightful reason to riot.  they have EVERY RATIONAL REASON TO REBEL AND REMOVE HIM FROM HIS SEAT OF POWER.  

if this were star wars, they’d be the rebellion.  we’d be rooting for them!  it is not wrong for an oppressed population to rise up against their oppressor!!!!!!!!!!  we all know this!!!!!!!!  just because we like arthur on a personal level doesn’t make it less true.  we CANNOT fault these people for refusing to just sit back and wait for arthur to someday wake up and give them their rights.  that never happens.  that is never how people become free.  we can’t fault these people for not choosing to be like merlin, for not choosing to hover in a morally questionable limbo for years and years and years and become complicit in their own oppression.

(and again, i’ll...i’ll deal with merlin later.  he keeps fucking up and i hate to see it but i also have to remember that he is a victim of the same oppressive policies as kara and mordred so it’s like...his case is more complicated.)

but arthur.  i honestly feel like the most telling moment is when he gives kara that opportunity to “repent,” which is supposed to be like ‘oh wow look how benevolent,’ only the thing is he’s completely missed the point.  the point is not that she needs to apologize for her crimes.  the point is that she hasn’t done anything wrong.  

no.

it isn’t.

the way they cut to merlin at that particular line is devastating.  it’s this...reminder of how far we have wandered, from who he used to be.  he used to think this, too.  he used to fight for himself, too; he used to come home to gaius angry and upset saying “i want to be seen; i want to be free.”  and now he’s just...locked into this impossible place where he can either ignore the veritable chorus of dragons, seers, and literal gods who keep telling him he has an absolute responsibility to make sure arthur triumphs, or listen to their counsel and thus betray himself, and his own people along with him.  and all this while still living under threat of execution himself - what is he supposed to do?  

this episode calls back so strongly to ‘the sorcerer’s shadow,’ which is the first place where the show confronts this problem so directly, when merlin outs himself to gilli and gilli challenges him about his choices:

i know how it feels.  i understand.

then you understand why i have to fight.  if uther is killed, so what?  how many of our kind have died at his hands?  how many more will?  it's time those with magic fought back.

gilli - 

you can't tell me what to do!  

you need to learn to use your magic for good.  that is its true purpose; it's not meant for your own vanity.

i'm not going to apologise for who i am!  you can be a servant and - and pretend you're less than them -

no, that is not what I do - 

no?!  you're defending the king!  protecting a man that would have you dead!

i'm protecting you!

you've been pretending for so long now that you've actually forgotten who you are.

merlin gets so upset by this.  he’s visibly shaken, and on the verge of tears, and he weakly protests, and then the next shot is of him lying awake in his bed, agonizedly stewing over it, because deep down he knows that gilli is right.  

this conflict has never been resolved.  i would add, as we move toward the spot where i am now in season 5, that it’s not so much that merlin has “forgotten” who he is, exactly, but that he’s been forced to abandon who he is, for the sake of his mission.  and most of the time he tries not to think about that, because it’s the only way he can survive, but he feels deeply conflicted about it still.

watching 5.11, it is so easy for me to get frustrated at merlin, because i feel like he should do more, in this episode, and do the Right Thing, but honestly at this point the only way for him to do the right thing is to reveal himself.  that’s it.  there is no other option for him.  we’ve exhausted all other avenues; there is no other step he can take.  he is trapped, in his current situation, and his deception is not just hurting him, now, it’s...it’s an abdication of his responsibility to everyone like him.  

i don’t like saying that.  because in real life it’s never okay to just say like...’oh, you need to out yourself because you have a responsibility to the community.’  that’s never okay.  a person’s primary responsibility is to their own safety, when they’re living as a marginalized, threatened person.  

so in real life, i would never say that.  but this is fiction, first of all, and it’s more complicated than that, for merlin, because he is already in a position of responsibility over these people, whether he wants to be or not.  the decisions he makes are things that impact their lives.  

and secondly - how threatened is he, really?  he is supposedly the most powerful sorcerer who’s ever lived.  do we really think arthur could successfully get merlin up on a platform and hang him?  do we really think arthur could hold merlin in a cell?  when merlin was newer to intentional magic and unstudied, absolutely, yes.  but now?

the risk merlin faces now isn’t necessarily to his life.  it’s to his lifestyle.  he might have to leave camelot.  he might lose all his friends.  and these are valid fears and i UNDERSTAND, because merlin has never felt safe and he has so rarely felt loved and i UNDERSTAND how paralytically frightening it is for him to consider doing anything that would jeopardize even the tiniest bit of belonging that he has been able to scrape together for himself, but i do not see that he has another option - not one that doesn’t poison his soul, at least.  he knows that what is happening to kara in this episode is wrong.  he tells arthur “free them both.”  he knows that’s what should have happened.  but then arthur executes her, and merlin does nothing to stop it, and i hate to put one more burden on merlin’s young shoulders but the fact of the matter is that this cycle of violence will never end until merlin ends it himself.  merlin cannot continue to stay trapped here between the dictates of destiny and his own sense of right and wrong.  it is killing him, and now it’s killing other people, too.

it is not a crime to fight for the right to be who you are.  

merlin desperately needs to remember that.  he needs to remember it for his own sake, not just for the people around him.  he is one of them.  their struggle is his struggle.  it is not the magical community’s fault that merlin has more information than they do - how are they supposed to know that arthur is supposed to be some kind of great saviour?  without knowing that, why would they ever choose to bow to him?  he has done nothing to earn their trust.  they have no reason to approach this situation the way merlin has, with infinite patience and a willingness to suffer constant injustices.  

merlin has to understand that.  he has to know that.  he can’t condemn them for fighting for their freedom.  they haven’t done anything wrong.  and i think he does know that, deep inside.  but he is trapped, where he is now, and the only way out is for him to tell the truth.  

the truth will set you free.  it might upend your entire life, but it will set you free.  and it is past time that merlin was free.  from camelot’s oppression, and from the oppressive dictates of destiny, too - if destiny had shut up for two seconds about ‘don’t trust mordred,’ we wouldn’t necessarily be in this situation now.  

i guess overall this episode leaves me feeling pretty grim.  and sad, i guess, because honestly like - it’s hard to for me to even root for arthur, as we enter the finale.  i can’t condemn mordred for running away to join the rebellion.  i don’t think morgana’s ideals are exactly pure, obviously; we’ve already seen several seasons ago how her goals have slid from ‘liberation’ to ‘power’ - but mordred is only motivated by the fight against injustice.  he’s in it for freedom.  and i can’t fault him for that, because he isn’t wrong.  i can’t fault him for giving up merlin’s identity, either, because merlin’s been treating him like crap from the very beginning (and again, yes, it’s more complicated than that - merlin is in an impossible position; he has reasons to trust all of the people who make prophecies at him - but still.  that doesn’t make mordred less wronged.)

so it’s kind of like - i’m going into the finale feeling like i shouldn’t really be rooting for our heroes.  which is kind of...depressing.

i mean.  yeah. 

he kind of does.

#the once and future slowburn #meta #merlin S5 #long post #this is such a...i don't know #it's just...a bummer #like i appreciate that the show is kind of allowing us to sit with the complexity #and for once not telling us that 'arthur's right no matter what' #they haven't quite gone the 'guess we were right not to trust mordred route!' yet #they had arthur say 'i shouldn't have trusted him' but i don't believe that's their endorsement of that position #and i'm glad #because that's just...demonstrably false; after this episode #but i also don't trust them not to take that tack later because they have a history of that sort of thing #so who knows? #right now i'm just in a place where i feel glum because i mean...how can i even root for the heroes? #like #mordred strides off to morgana's fortress and i was like 'good! you go! you march over there!' #he's been wronged! how can i justifiably ask him to just roll over and take it? #it's not fair to ask that of him #it's not fair to ask that of any of them #and that **includes** merlin #merlin should never have had to do all the things he's done for this regime #i know why he's done them; and he won't complain; but he's been wronged as well #he's made mistakes but he's also been victimized so it's just...it's a mess #i just can't envision a scenario where this turns out okay for anyone #even arthur and merlin 'winning' doesn't seem like a good ending to me #because like...why does camelot deserve to win right now? #i don't know #it's hard to explain #it's just...a disaster

[aio-rya]

Aio-chan! I love how your blog has grown! But I have a question a bit off topic... If my memory is fine, I remember your first header was a Fate icon, wasn't it? Are you still a Fate fan? Are you making Fate content or just TWST content? And what is your favourite Fate arc? Which character you love the most? I'm sorry if this are too much questions ("◠‿◠)

Well... I was not expecting this

I mean yeah, it's a bit too much off topic but I guess answering only this one would not harm anyone.

Was my first icon a Fate icon? Yeah, it was!

Am I still a Fate fan? Indeed, I love the series, the story, the characters... I couldn't ever deny it.

Am I making some Fate content of only TWST? Actually, only TWST. I would try doing Fate content but I wouldn't, it would be a little hard for me. Plus, I enjoy more reading that stuff than making it.

And what is my favourite Fate arc?

Definitely Zero and Lord El-Melloi II Case Files — Grace Note Rail Zeppelin. The soundtrack made by Yuki Kajiura and the animation is amazing too, Noble Phantasm's release is merveilleux ! Most of my favourite characters were born from this two adaptations, until Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia arrived. I'm a great fan of Grand Order too but from the animations, I loved this even more than Shinsei Entaku Ryoiki Camelot —the main reason is the soundtrack too.

Finally: favourite character...

And I am actually painfully waiting for Kani Jinkan Shinden Solomon. I have to confess that the first time I played Grand Order and finished The Grand Temple of Time: Solomon, I just cried a river. I fell for Romani's character that much that I didn't even realise it. And I'm sure that it will be a very well done work, I expect nothing less... And I'm sure it will become one of my favourite Fate animations, but for sure a part of my heart will hate it too. It's just so sentimental, enough to melt my stone-cold heart.

I guess the main is Waver Velvet. Waver is such a simple and complicated character all along the series, even with his relatively short participation on Grand Order. We follow the route of an immature young boy who just wants to prove the world that he's worthy of recognition, worthy of being a great mage but his ming suddenly changes when he starts comprehending Iskandar's vision. He is needy of love, not only of recognition and in some way that is what Alexander brings him. He starts growing when his servant dies, when his journey for honouring his memory starts. Becoming Lord El-Melloi II is more of a challenge than a punishment, in the end, he redeemed himself, he start accepting life as it comes and he, somewhat, starts recognising his proper value.

The second is another somehow complex but simple character and it's nobody else than Romani Archaman. The humble doctor. Not the greatest caster in the world nor the owner of the ten legendary rings. He's still cursed with the gift of vision, of seen the imminent end of humanity. He tries, and tries, and tries to save humans, he travels, he sees the world but that only leads him to the inevitable encounter with Marisbury. His fate was to save humanity, in the end, he experienced everything that means to be human, even the hardest pain. I just live his personality, how human they made him, the most powerful creature in the world.

Off the first place on my top, I have Merlin & Fou, Gillgamesh & Enkidu, Artoria Pendragon, Mordred & Gawain, Quetzalcoatl, Rin Tohsaka & Luviagelita Edelfelt, Astolfo and Henry Jekyll.

As well, Fate Prototype characters, mainly Merlin and Arthur.

God, I extended myself a lot with this one. Sorry, I never have off topics so I took the chance since it's related to the early origin of the blog~

#aio answers #while I'm going into your requests

[robin-notquiteasbraveaslancelot]

I have decided that Killgarah's motives were, in fact, very justifiable, not only because he is a dragon, but also because of his age. Now, I do not remember if his age is ever directly stated in the series, and I refuse to either rewatch it or do research, so I am going to assume that he is quite old. Like, 1000 or so.

 Now, this is quite a large difference from any of either the characters he encounters during either the series or his lifetime, as the average person he would meet would be between 18-70/80. This would mean that, assuming he is not an outlier to dragon species as a whole, dragons live for anywhere between 800-1500 years on average. I am not an expert, but this seems reasonable? He is old, but he seems to be, for the majority of the series at least, in fairly good health, which would imply that he is not exactly in the last days of his life. 

As this has been established, we shall now move on to the main parts:

1) Dragons in relation to humans in general, with focus on Kilgharrah in particular.                                                  

Now, some of this will be speculation, but I think it probably would check out, taking into account that this is a fictional children's television series. The first part where this is a little bit speculation comes from the question: When is this show set?

 Now, there are many, many discrepancies in this show, such as the often mentioned tomato in the pilot to the fact that knights didn't really exist prior to about 800 or so, and the lack of Christianity means it couldn't have taken place after that. As this point is not key, we shall assume that this takes place in the year 500. Because I need a year.

So, that would mean that Killgarah was born in about 1000 BCE. Quite a lot was going on in this time, such as historical Israel was at its peak, the Assyerians were starting to do their thing, and the world population was about 50,000,000.

 From there to 500 CE, he would have witnessed the rise and fall of Greece, Rome, Persia (fall rather than rise, I think it had already risen), and countless people. He would have witnessed a massive chunk of human history, even if he was born slightly later than 1000BCE, such as if he was closer to 1000 than 1500.

Now, this would have probably given him a much different view on human civilization than a human, because it's hard to feel that individual civilizations matter when you've seen them all fall. Not only civilizations, but individual people would have probably started to be insignificant to him, as anyone he met would have died soon after, in comparison to his lifespan. Now, if this age thing is true for all dragons, then that would imply that dragons probably prefer each other much more than humans. Like, most people form closer bonds with other people than they do with say, a goldfish. You might really like watching the goldfish, but it would need 10 lifetimes to be equal to you in age. 

To conclude the Dragon's age section: People as individuals and as vast empires are basically meaningless to dragons, because they all die so fast it's not really worth forming a very strong attachment.

 2) Killgarah in relation to the prophecy

Now, this section relies on two main points.                                                                                                                        

a) Kilgarrah post the purge.  This is really quite tragic, as after this he has no other dragons left. He is the last of his kind, and if we take the previous ideas about the ages of dragons into account, then he is basically bereft of any meaningful companionship, and will spend the rest of his days alone, watching any human he might befriend die, leaving him alone again. Even if we assume that dragons probably don't form the same attachments to people that other people do, this alone would have not done wonders for his mental health and outlook on the world. 

 To top it off, he spends the next 20ish years in a literal pit, so he was probably not fond of people at this point of time. He does seem to get enjoyment out of Merlin's company, especially in the later seasons, so we can assume he probably liked humans a bit, but I don't think he would have liked them in an equal sort of way, as they were always going to be his inferior.  

Conclusion of this Section: Kilgharrah would have been unimaginably lonely, as his whole world (dragons) had just been killed.

 b) Kilgharrah and Merlin, and too many metaphors concerning hamsters.   So, one of the main things I see about Kilgharrah was that his advice was bad and that the goal of the prophecy was never actually achieved. Now, there is some truth to this, especially from a storytelling standpoint, but from the perspective of Kilgharrah, life did improve, and the prophecy was meaningless to him. Now, what Kilgarrah wanted was other dragons, and to get other dragons he needed a dragonlord. So, what he needed to do was to find a dragonlord who he could manipulate (Merlin) and who was not in danger of dying like everyone else in Kilgarrah's life (Merlin).  

This is where we speculate a little bit. Now, seeing as Kilgarrah knew about the prophecies and seemed to be able to predict destinies, he had the ability to act with quite a bit of foresight. We can therefore assume that he wanted the prophecy to go as planned, which meant that he never had any interest in doing what was good for people, only what was good for the prophecy. Why? Because if the prophecy gets completed, then he gets Aithusia, so he will not be alone, Merlin, so he will not be alone, and in a way, revenge on Uther, as bringing about he death of his son would probably be the perfect revenge as it was Arthur's birth that caused the purge that brought about basically the end of the world for Kilgharrah. 

The speculative bit comes from the question of: was Arthur living to build Albion part of the prophecy, or did the prophecy only want Arthur to make it to Camlamn so he could be killed by Mordred?

 If the latter option is true, then technically what Kilgarrah says at the end is true. Destiny was unavoidable, and so it was achieved, and Kilgarrah has benefited immensely. Now, onto the moral part of Killgarah's character, and why his actions were justifed.

1) He is very, very lonely. 

2)To not be lonely, he needs the prophecy to be completed, as he needs Merlin to hatch Aithusia, and also be immortal. He even says that the white dragon bodes well for Albion, and while it pretty much doesn't, it does bode well for both Arthur dying and Kilgharrah, which would imply that the prophecy wanted AArthur to die there, and Killgarrah knew it.

 3)While all this manipulation might seem bad, it makes perfect sense from Kilgarrah's perspective. 

To use a metaphor: Say you have a group of pet hamsters. You might really like some hamsters, but others you are neutral on. Regardless, all of your pet hamsters are only going to live for a few years, so you can't get too attached. 

Now, a person told you that you had to lie to your hamsters, who are slightly more intelligent than real hamsters, in order to save the lives of people.

 Now, you might really really love your hamsters, but you'd still lie to them to save people, right? You might not even know the person, but the life of a person is worth more than being truthful to a hamster. You're not even going to hurt the hamster, it's going to live forever, so what's the problem, really?

Now, say you weren't saving the life of a person. Say, all people you ever knew had just been killed. There's no more people, and you're just sitting in your house alone, knowing that you're going to live over the next forty years by yourself, sitting in one room, with nothing to do but think about the people you have lost.

Now, imagine you are told that there is a way to see another person again, that you won't be alone for the rest of your life, that you can have a friend. All you have to do is lie to your hamster, and get him to let another hamster die. 

Now, maybe you really love these hamsters. Maybe you don't want any of them to die. But you're all alone, and you just have to let one hamster die. The first hamster has a purpose now, and he's not going to die.

 Maybe a couple more hamsters have to die too, but you get to have another person again! Isn't it worth it? The hamster would die soon anyway, they don't live long compared to you.

 It’s not really bad, to let one hamster die, if it means you can have some of your world back, is it?

#Merlin Meta #Mine #Kilgarrah #I think this makes sense? #I was thinking about it and wanted to write something down #To clarify. In the metaphor you are Kilgarrah and the hamsters are Merlin and co. #Christ this is 1500 words long #I have a 2200 word essay due tonight #I make good life choices

[blackpinkpaladin]

are there Pacific rim!aus in the merlin fandom? every fandom needs more pacific rim!aus. here are some of my merthur Pacific rim headcanons I might turn into a fic later, we'll see.

Arthur and Morgana are co-pilots . they pilot the Camelot Crown, from the Portuguese Stronghold.

Uther became one of the main funders of the Jaeger program, and due to his military background, he also got to open and run the Portuguese stronghold.

thus, little Arthur and Morgana received their destinies. they were trained for the Crown since the inception of that Jaeger.

Training wasn't exactly easy and Uther, being a terrible father, started them very early. the pair were forced into some really stressful and borderline abusive situations. even in their time on the academy, being very young compared to their peers, all they had was each other and the idea of someday helping to save the world.

When the time came, Arthur and Morgana were perfect pilots....on paper. in practice, less so. They were drift compatible, of course, they were raised to be. but their neural handshake wasn't as stable as it ought to be.

It's cuz they share too much of the same trauma, but they've processed it very differently. where, Arthur chose to blindly trust Uther, Morgana chose to hate him. they clash and yet they are transfixed by the other. if one of them chases the rabbit, the other always follows.

but they're still amazing pilots. they begin at 19, graduating early, the youngest pair in history and have the highest kill count in the shortest time.

but it all goes wrong two years later. There is a civilian ship still in the waters when there's category 3 Kaiju breach and Uther commands them to ignore it.

Morgana cannot and neither can Arthur. they disobey and try to save the ship.

Uther realizes what they're doing mid-battle and he begins shouting. it gets to Arthur who trusts Uther so much. he hesitates. His hesitation throws the neural connection off-balance. He ends up chasing the rabbit, re-living every time Uther hurled abuse at him. Morgana manages to stay in control. But the Crown stops moving for a few seconds.

but that's all the Kaiju ever needs.

They make it out alive thanks to Morgana. She pulls them out, at the cost of taking the neural load onto herself for hours until Arthur comes to.

Morgana is taken out of the program. She can't ever drift again. The load would be too much for her. The Crown is also destroyed. it can not run anymore.

Arthur is injured too but he can still technically pilot. It's just he blames himself abt the accident, and Uther tells him that Morgana doesn't wanna see him (she does) and transfers Morgana into research. she leaves angry at Arthur for living her alone after all this, but finds solace in research with Gwen, Morguase and Mordred.

Arthur is left too volatile to drift with anyone and he becomes an instructor in the academy while he waits to find someone compatible. more under uther’s thumb then ever

Elsewhere, Merlin, Will and Freya are the co-pilots of the Ealdor Mage.

the same age as the Pendragon twins but a few classes below, Merlin and Will grew up together and met Freya at the academy

the three of them are legends on their own rights. the Mage is tied for the highest kill count with the Crown.

Merlin, especially, is an unique pilot. he doesn’t have the stats like. but he’s famous for being a perfect drifter. He has never gone off-balance and he can balance out his partners when they give chase.

The trio are also the first in the world to take on a category 4 Jaeger and win. the Mage, however, doesn't survive the encounter.

neither does....HAHA NOPE. Will and Freya live. (you thought, I'm not that cruel) The compatibility of the three is blown to hell though. Freya cant keep piloting anymore. She's already had a hard life and the constant stress of fights become too much. Will and Merlin, as close as they are, can't drift without Freya to balance them out.

Freya retires. Will starts working in mission control and Merlin is transferred to the academy where General Kilgarrah has a Jaeger, The Camelot Destiny, he wants Merlin to pilot.

Merlin feels like he's failed Will and Freya somehow. He had convinced himself he was the third wheel (he really wasn't. there's no way to third wheel when you are literally in each other's minds) and it's his fault for not holding Freya strong enough. He also believes that his worth is in his ability to hold a smooth drift. Not being able to continue with Will makes him think he’s lost all his worth. He think its him who ruined their compatibility but it's just his BPD talking

Merlin has Borderline personality disorder in this verse, btw. he's on meds, and he's an excellent pilot so they don't stop him from piloting. but he also ought to be seeing a therapist which he isn't.

Arthur prepares the candidates for Merlin's co-pilot. Since the Destiny uses some parts of the Crown, he knows what the Jaeger will need very well.

He and Merlin get off to a terrible start once Merlin arrives.

Merlin sees Arthur training the students and thinks he's being too harsh.

*insert reenactment of first merthur meeting here*

the second time they meet is when Arthur brings all the candidates. Merlin goes through them all in an hour and insults Arthur's skills as Trainer.

Arthur bites back that his students are expecting a dialogue, not a slaughter. even if Merlin is determined to not find a partner, the least he can do is show Arthur's students enough respect to not hold back.

Merlin straight up challenges Arthur this point.

Of course, Arthur accepts and the two dance around each other, matching each other blow for blow.

They are so well matched. Arthur is stronger but Merlin is faster. Arthur has perfect form but Merlin is unpredictable and effective. 

Intense eye contact. Sweaty grins. There is sparks every time one block’s the other’s move. They taunt each other through heavy breathing. Both are intensely aware of every where they touch. there is something tender in the way they grab for the one another even though its to bruise and conquer. 

There is a crowd of students watching at this point. It’s living legend vs living legend. unstoppable force vs immovable object. 

They both realized they're drift compatible in the first minute of their fight. but they'd continued anyway. they're too stubborn to admit that and having too much fun to stop.

Gaius calls the whole thing to an end when he calls out to them. At this point, Arthur is straddling merlin, his hands on merlin’s chest even though strategically he should be pinning merlin’s arms, and merlin is mid-maneuver to either throw the blonde off and get on top or close the distance and start making out. it is unclear.

Merlin and Arthur are ordered to pilot the Destiny together. they are reluctant. both have too much baggage they will be carrying into the drift. they could practically read each other’s minds while fighting. the neural handshake will leave them bare. they both crave that feeling of being known but they are also terrified. you know?

Cue the sexual tension, Merlin and Arthur both slowly trusting each other to enter their minds, Arthur and Morgana fixing their relationship, Merlin getting over his insecurities and abandonment issues, Them meeting and befriending other Jaeger pilots aka the knights and lots of Fighting Aliens in Giant Robot Suits in between.

#bbc merlin #merthur #oh if anyone knows of any fics like this pls lmk!! #also sorry not sorry its so long #mine

[thisisamerlinonlyevent]

Merlin but a bit different

Got an idea for a different plot for BBC Merlin

So, first things first, some details:

• All knights of the round table are already together • Uther is still king (he let the knights in by a lot of begging from Arthur and Morgana) • Morgana is evil • Gwen has stronger feelings for Lancelot than for Arthur • Gwaine and Percival are oblivious and have a bit of a crush on each other • Arthur has feelings for Gwen • Gaius works alone and has been the one to save Camelot most of the time All good? Okay. But where’s Merlin? Well...

• Instead of staying with his mother, Merlin goes after his father, knowing about him and desiring to learn from him • He trains to be the most powerful warlock and Dragonlord, knowing that Prince Arthur will need his protection • He befriends Mordred, deciding on not killing him and giving him an someone to look up to in world full of hate and a promise of loyalty to him when he's older • Freya and him did have a thing but she hadn't been cursed then and after being attacked by bandits he grieved her as she had died • He sacrificed himself to Nimueh but so did Freya afterwards and with Nimueh not giving him the chance to die again, he kills her instead but Freya disappears afterwards to a safer life and they don’t meet again 

Alright, so there’s Merlin. And how does he get involved with the rest of our beloved characters? 

• Merlin is found by the knights in one of their patrols (in a forest) • He's more confident and mischievous but in a prank sort of way (in this AU) • Knowing about his destiny with Arthur, he saves them and goes with them to Camelot, although none of them desire it • There, he starts to work for Gaius but he isn't Arthur's manservant • He also befriends Kilgharrah, his Dragonlord nature shining through more • He helps Morgana with her powers and shows her that fighting fire with fire won’t help, making her see sense • He also kills Morgause (in a very epic battle), knowing that she is the reason for Morgana's malevolence and therefore should be killed So, a bit of plot for you. But, y’know, I’m not done. No, I want to talk about Nimueh in this AU. • Nimueh, knowing her powers, decided to continue her bloodline, being immortal and all that jazz • She had multiple children and all of them are very powerful and keen on revenging her death by killing Merlin first and then Arthur • They turn evil, blinded by grief over their mother and while some traveled far to expand their skills, others stayed, causing havoc on Camelot and therefore, Merlin Oh shit, am I right? We needed some more powerful villains no? Anyway, let me give you more plot...

(btw, I think that if Merlin had acted differently in the show itself, destiny wouldn’t have changed so much, since Kilgharrah had said that Merlin and Arthur’s reign would commence with Uther’s death but with Merlin’s interference, destiny changed and that didn’t happen. So, keep that in mind)

• Arthur is now destined to die by the eldest child of Nimueh, Diana (named after Nimueh’s own mother, according to the arthurian legend; apparently Nimueh is the daughter of a goddess, damn) • Merlin decides to free the great dragon and making him keep watch for any enemies outside of Camelot • In one of Merlin and the knights's patrols, Merlin senses a being of magic close • Turns out, it's Freya and she had been cursed just like in the show • She stays with them and in Camelot, sadly still cursed even though Merlin is trying to make it better since he can't stop a curse he doesn't know of (after midnight, she will kill at least once to transform back to normal; that’s the curse btw) • Freya joins them on their patrols and starts to fall for Elyan, and him too (new ship everybody!) • On the episode where Merlin gets the dragon egg, on the way back they encounter yet another sibling but Merlin realizes that she's Diana • The knights try to fight her but she's stronger and injures them badly • Merlin and Freya (having been practicing her curse and trying to at least control herself) fight her • Freya manages to hurt her (my baby) but she too gets injured badly • Merlin realizes that they can't fight her so they might as well befriend her (honestly that’s what Merlin should’ve done in the show sometimes) • They fight but in the end Merlin wins with a fatal blow, promising to cure her if she gives them a chance • Diana accepts and even though she takes some time, she warms up to them (Freya is too sweet and Merlin incredibly endearing; also Morgana advises her that bitterness won't get her far and that helps immensely) • Morgana and Diana grow close and develop feelings (ANOTHER new ship!) • Now Arthur is destined to grow into a great king but that doesn’t mean that he won’t face may foes until then

So that’s all I have. Uther is still alive until now btw. I might write something fluffier today, tomorrow or something. It’s one of those days.

I have an idea of shipping Leon with a female knight somewhere in this and also Mordred when he get’s older; maybe with one of Nimueh’s evil children manservant or something like that.

Please leave comments and entertain this idea with me!

#bbc merlin #merlin #merlin au #nimueh #Arthur Pendragon #gwinevere #sir leon #sir mordred #sir gwaine #Sir Elyan #Sir Percival #sir lancelot #morgana #morgause #kilgharrah #gaius #freya #uther pendragon #my post

[poet-pufflehuff]

A BNHA Fantasy!AU loosely based on BBC’s Merlin that nobody asked for but got anyway Part 1

Lately, I’ve been getting back into Merlin, and after seeing a lot of fanart for the bnha fantasy au on my dashboard, my brain naturally decided to combine the two concepts, and once my brain gets going on an idea it doesn’t stop until I’ve filled up 10 pages worth of notes on it. So, I’ve decided to divide this into multiple parts in order to maintain my own sanity. I guess there are some spoilers for Merlin so be warned. Enjoy.

Edit: Part 2 is here guys, check it out! 

Izuku (Merlin)

Has always wanted to become a knight but can’t because a) he isn’t nobility and b) he has magic, which is outlawed in the kingdom of Camelot

After saving Prince Shouto’s life, King Endeavor rewards him by making him the prince’s manservant

He later finds out that his destiny is to protect and serve the Once and Future King, Prince Shouto, and to always be by his side. Izuku is more than willing to protect the prince, but he’s very apprehensive towards being his manservant at first not only because of his magic but because he thinks the prince doesn’t like him (which isn’t true, the prince is just learning how to deal with having a crush awkward)

He lives with the court physician, Chiyo (Recovery Girl)

For some reason, the druids refer to him by a different name, “Deku”

He’s a magic nerd and will fanboy over every mythical creature/artifact/spellbook he encounters. He has a lot of magic but has no idea how to control it and often times hurts himself trying to use it

He became a brilliant tactician after many years of studying to become a knight when he was younger. He’s so good that often times Prince Shouto will turn to Izuku to discuss strategy

A literal ray of sunshine. Is friends with literally everyone

A very clumsy servant who’s not good at his job but he’s trying his best

Prince Shouto (Arthur)

The Crown Prince of Camelot

Doesn’t agree with how his father rules most of the time(big surprise)

Pressured into being the perfect prince and receives a lot of harsh criticism from his father

His ‘scar’ is actually something he’s had since birth. It’s proof that he was born with the help of magic

Feels indifferent towards magic

At first, he’s very distant with almost everyone in court, but after getting to know Izuku, he starts warming up

Suspects that there's more to Izuku but is completely oblivious to his magic

Has a huge crush and has no idea what to do about it

Hates being given special treatment for being royalty, he would rather be treated normally

Just a teeny bit naive and sheltered

All Might (The Great Dragon)

He is believed to be the sole surviving dragon after King Endeavor started the Magic Wars

He managed to escape capture but was hurt very badly in the process

Has a grudge against King Endeavor but not the kingdom of Camelot

Watches over and guides Izuku

Basically Dragon!DadMight

Tired(TM)

“My boy, your destiny is to protect Prince Shoto, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a self-sacrificing idiot”

Tries to be helpful but most of the time his advice is cryptic and vague

So I kinda divided Morgana’s character into two parts, just a heads up. Trust me, it’ll make sense.

Lord Touya (Mordred/Evil Morgana)

Is one of King Endeavor’s wards

King Endeavor’s secret love child

No matter how much he denies it, he is constantly searching for King Endeavor’s attention and approval

At first, he has a very weird relationship with Shouto. On one hand they both understand what it’s like having an asshole as your father guardian, but on the other hand, he’s jealous of Shouto because from Touya’s perspective, Shouto is always getting praise and attention from the King without much effort

Like Izuku, he was born with powerful magic

Izuku finds out but promises to keep it secret (he doesn’t reveal his own magic). Touya is warry of Izuku but decided to trust him.

King Endeavor eventually finds out about Touya’s magic and decides to burn him to the stake. Touya believes that Izuku ratted him out, so he refuses when Izuku tries to help him escape. The day of his execution Touya gets severely burned but is ultimately saved by a cult of evil sorcerers

The reason they saved him is because he is destined to oppose Prince Shouto and some believe that this means magic will be free

Shortly after being saved, he learns that King Endeavor is his father. From then on he goes by Dabi because he refuses to go by the name that his father gave him

Lady Yaomomo (Good Morgana)

Like Touya, she is the ward of King Endeavor. 

She isn’t related to King Endeavor in any way, she’s just the orphan daughter of a noble family who was close to the King

Is one of the few people that Prince Shouto was close to before meeting Izuku. He often turns to her for advice (especially if it's about his cute servant)

She is very kind to everyone regardless of status

Is a very skilled warrior

The living embodiment of “Ladies don’t start fights, but they can finish them”

She becomes Camelot’s first ever female knight when Shouto becomes King

Ochaco (Gwen)

She is one of Lady Yaomomo’s serving-girls/maids along with Tsuyu and Jirou

Izuku’s first friend in Camelot

They often end up doing chores together

She accidentally found out about Izuku’s magic after he healed her father’s illness

She helps cover for Izuku when he gets into trouble and/or is doing something magical

That’s it for now. I have way more but and I might end up adding things in the future. Part 2 will come eventually but for now, I’m pretty beat. Let me know what you think and feel free to send suggestions. Thank you!

#bnha #bnha au #bnha fantasy au #merlin #bbc merlin #merlin au #midoriya izuku #todoroki shouto #tododeku #all might #dad might #dabi #dabi is a todoroki #dabi is touya #todoroki touya #momo yaoyorozu #uraraka ochako #please dont steal #long post #this is too long #prince todoroki

[beyondthedreamline]

Ladies of Legend: Morgan le Fay and Morgause

References: Women of Camelot: queens and enchantresses at the court of King Arthur (Orchard Australia, 2000) by Mary Hoffman, Le Morte d’Arthur in two volumes: volume one and volume two (J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 1978, originally published in 1485) by Sir Thomas Malory, Mythology: Myths, Legends, & Fantasies (Hodder, 2013) by Dr. Alice Mills, The Complete Book of Witches and Wizards (Carlton Books Ltd, 2007) by Tim Dedopulos

Trigger warning: references to rape

There is a tendency, in Arthurian legend, for Igraine’s daughters to be highly variable in number and almost entirely interchangeable in identity, their roles within different versions of the myth generally depending on which woman gives birth to which sons. The Vulgate Cycle, for instance, has a whole crowd of half-sisters, while other versions whittle it down to one or two. The Complete Book of Witches and Wizards credits Morgan le Fay with eight sorceress sisters – Cliton, Gliten, Glitonea, Mazoe, Modron, Moronoe, Thitis and Tyronoe – all living together on the island of Avalon and acting as good fairies at Arthur’s birth. Mythology: Myths, Legends and Fantasies speculates that Morgan le Fay may have originally been a Celtic sea goddess or even a goddess of death. She has associations with the Morrigana, an Irish triple goddess represented by the three warrior queen aspects of Badb, Macha and Morrigan, the latter of whom is also strongly associated with fertility.

In Le Morte d’Arthur, there are three sisters: Morgause (alternatively spelled Margawse) being the eldest, Elaine the middle child and Morgan as the youngest. They were the children of Duke Gorlois of Cornwall and Igraine. When Gorlois was defeated in battle by King Uther Pendragon, Igraine had little choice but the marry the victor. She gave birth to a son, Arthur, who was taken away to be raised with a foster family, his very existence a well-kept secret. Uther then used his newly acquired stepdaughters to secure political alliances, marrying Morgause off to King Lot of Orkney and Elaine to King Nentres of Garlot. At this point Elaine promptly vanishes from the narrative.

Morgan was perhaps too young for marriage at the time because she was sent to a convent for an unexpectedly arcane education, learning the arts of necromancy and sorcery. Other stories have her trained at court by Merlin himself. Eventually, however, she was given a royal marriage of her own and became queen to Uriens of Gore.

Morgause had four sons with Lot – Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris and Gareth. The only one to inherit any magical tendencies was Gawain, whose strength increased as the sun approached its zenith. When Arthur emerged from obscurity and Uther’s former allies went to war against him, including Lot, Morgause calmly came as a messenger to the embattled young king (with all of her boys in tow, what’s more) and had a month-long fling with him that resulted in a fifth son, Mordred. The relationship appears to have been consensual and mutually misinformed.

When Merlin finally told Arthur the truth, it came with a side serve of apocalyptic prophecy and the two of them threw a full King Herod routine by having all the baby boys born on May Day sent to sea to be drowned. Mordred survived. What’s more, he appears to have been raised by Morgause, because he shows up later in the story as a knight in Arthur’s court, not quite popular but respected and running around with the other Orkney boys. How he got from one point to the other is one hell of a mystery that Malory never explains.

Nentres and Uriens were also aligned against Arthur, though that did not stop Igraine bringing Morgan along when she met Arthur for the first time. Which means that Morgan was present, listening, when Igraine told the court how Uther appropriated her husband’s face in order to rape her.

The fight for the throne was brutal. During the final battle, thirteen kings were killed; among them, Morgause’s husband Lot, brought down by Arthur’s ally Pellinore. This was the beginning of a labyrinthine tangle of messed-up relationships, as Gawain eventually killed Pellinore and the widowed Morgause later took Pellinore’s son Lamorak as her lover.

Arthur held a great funeral, attended by Morgause and her sons, Morgan and her husband Uriens, and their son Ewaine (also spelled Yvain). Eager to connect with his half-sisters on a non-sexual level that is also not a battlefield – this family is such a disaster in so many ways – Arthur entrusted his sword Excalibur into Morgan’s care. Apparently she had a trustworthy vibe or something. Arthur proved once again that he was a shocking judge of people because not only did Morgan plan to use that sword for a double regicide, she had learned enough about Arthur’s personality to arrange it that he took every step into the trap for himself.

Arthur went hunting with Uriens and a knight called Sir Accolon who, unbeknown to the others, was Morgan’s lover and accomplice. The kings and their companion spied a beautiful ship floating in nearby waters and were invited to stay the night aboard by the twelve beautiful women who were its only occupants. However, when Uriens awoke he was in bed with Morgan – and when Arthur awoke, he was in the dungeon of Sir Damas, a knight in the middle of a property dispute with his little brother and who had a habit of kidnapping promising fighters in the hope that one of them would consent to be his champion. Thus far, nobody had. Arthur grimly offered himself on the condition that the other prisoners would be released. He didn’t realise that the messenger girl he was talking to was a servant of Morgan le Fay, or that the sword he went to fight with was not Excalibur at all. Morgan sent Accolon to Sir Ontzlake, Damas’ brother, to volunteer as his champion in the upcoming fight, and he had the true sword.

It’s neatly done. It would have worked beautifully had the Lady Nimue not been among the spectators, because in Le Morte d’Arthur it is she who received the training from Merlin, not Morgan, and after she got rid of him for good, she took over the role of Arthur’s intermittent protector. She forced Accolon to drop Excalibur, so that Arthur could reclaim it. Accolon confessed to everything. Morgan’s plan was to kill Uriens as well, take Accolon as her consort and rule the land herself. I shouldn’t like that. But I sort of do.

Expecting Accolon to have already succeeded, Morgan had moved in for the next kill. She sent a handmaiden for Uriens’ sword so that she could kill her husband with his own weapon – nasty sense of irony that the lady’s got there – but the handmaiden had qualms and woke Uwaine, who was sadly prepared for exactly this kind of situation. “I may say an earthly devil bore me,” he said, catching the sword before his mother could strike. She might be willing to murder her brother and husband in cold blood, but Morgan loved her son and in exchange for his forgiveness, she swore that Uriens would be safe from her. She kept her word, too; as far as Malory tells it, she never made another attempt on her husband’s life.

Arthur was deeply hurt by Morgan’s betrayal. He settled matters between Damas and Ontzlake, and when Accolon died of his injuries, four days after the fight, Arthur sent the body to Morgan as a warning. She hid her grief, planning her vengeance. She went to see Guinevere before Arthur returned to court, acquiring royal permission to travel into the country. Travelling with a company of her own knights, she found the abbey where Arthur was staying overnight and tried to steal Excalibur from him, only to discover he’d taken to sleeping with it in his hand. She settled for snatching the scabbard, which protected its wearer from physical harm. Arthur soon woke and pursued her. Maliciously, she hurled the scabbard into a lake and enchanted herself to disappear into the landscape as a rock until Arthur gave up looking.

After that, Morgan rejoined her knights and travelled on. She encountered one of Arthur’s knights, blindfolded and pushed into a fountain by the man whose wife he was sleeping with. The imperilled knight was Sir Manassen, cousin to Accolon. Morgan turned the tables: it was the other knight who drowned and Manassen was sent back to court unharmed, as a message to Arthur: she saved one of his knights for love of Accolon and with all her magic, she did not fear Arthur. She then turned her attention to building up the defences and devotion of Gore.

Her next attempt to get at Arthur was presented as a truce. She sent a handmaiden with a beautiful cloak as a reconciliation gift, but Nimue was there once again to foil her; she suggested the handmaiden try the cloak on first and the court watched, horrified, as the girl burned alive. Though Arthur did not blame Uwaine for his mother’s actions, the young knight was no longer welcomed at court and when he left, his loyal cousin Gawain went with him. The children of Morgause and Morgan were fiercely clannish. Of course, Morgause decided to be on good terms with Arthur – as he had no children with Guinevere, Morgause’s children were his obvious successors, a good reason if ever there was one to take his side in this unusually bloody sibling squabble. But Morgause never seemed to be on bad terms with Morgan either.

Which is not to say Morgause didn’t have problems of her own. To begin with, her (favourite) son Gareth took it into his head to arrive at Arthur’s court incognito and prove himself as an unknown knight instead of claiming his royal birthright from the get go, so Morgause had to storm over there and tell off Arthur for not keeping a better eye on his nephews – and then she told off her other sons for not recognising their own goddamn brother when he was right under their noses. Upon hearing that the court bully Sir Kay nicknamed her son Beaumains (meaning ‘fair-hands’, this being a way of calling him a freeloader) she tersely retorted that Gareth was ‘fair-handed’ indeed, flipping the insult into a compliment to Gareth’s sense of justice. The adventure ended happily, with three of her sons all getting married at once.

Meanwhile, Morgan’s one woman war on Arthur continued undaunted. She started running with a girl gang of fellow queens, including the Queen of Northgalis, the queen of Eastland and the queen of the Out Isles. I swear, I am NOT making this up. They captured Sir Lancelot while he was out questing and tried to make him choose a lover from among them, but he held true to Guinevere and was rescued by another independently-minded handmaiden, the daughter of King Bagdemagus, who is not named by Malory but who Howard Pyle calls Elouise. Morgan preferred to work with women (she was later reputed to have a spy network of up to thirty women across the kingdom) but was prone to overestimating her influence on them.

One woman Morgan was completely disinterested in bonding with was Guinevere, who she appeared to view as nothing more than a weak spot in Arthur’s defences. She knew – well, everybody knew – that Guinevere and Lancelot were lovers, and came up with increasingly ingenious ways to try and drum home the message to Arthur. She sent a horn that could not be drunk from by an unfaithful lady, only for it to be waylaid and given to King Mark of Cornwall’s court instead; she depicted a king and queen on a shield with a knight above them both, imagining the symbolism to be obvious, only for Arthur to dismiss it entirely. He was too familiar with his sister’s traitorous habits to take her word for anything.

Morgan also captured Arthur’s knights whenever she could. One of her female spies tried to talk Sir Tristram and Gawain into an ambush. Though Gawain revealed her as one of his aunt’s servants, Tristram wanted the fight anyway, but (recognising a bull-headed hero when she saw  one) Morgan refuses to send out her knights. She later managed to imprison Tristram and made  him carry the suggestive shield in return for his freedom. That was not enough for her lover at the time, Sir Hemison, who chased after Tristram against Morgan’s advice and was killed in the ensuing fight.

Morgause, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying her widowhood with Lamorak. He was a contemporary of her sons, so presumably a couple of decades or so younger than herself, and who was the kind of fiery type who picked fights with anybody who implied Guinevere might be more beautiful than his own regal silver vixen of a girlfriend. He also beat a whole gang of Morgan’s knights to work off some steam. The sex was canonically excellent.

Unfortunately, Morgause’s sons were not on board with her having an active love life. Gawain resented Arthur’s fondness for Lamorak, seeing him only as the man whose father murdered his own, and taking Lamorak as a lover ‘shamed’ Morgause in Gawain’s eyes. All his brothers, apart from possibly Gareth, took the same view. Having intercepted a message that named the time and place for a rendevous, Gaheris stormed in on the lovers and cut off his own mother’s head. Covered in the blood of the woman he loved, Lamorak screamed that he would rather have died in her place, but he was unarmed and could not fight back. Gaheris’ twisted sense of honour would not allow him to kill a naked man and so he let Lamorak go, but the enmity between him and the Orkney brothers was bitter after that and Lamorak was eventually killed by Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris and Mordred acting as a mob. The only one who refused to be involved was Gareth.

It was a terrible end for a remarkable woman.

Both Arthur and Lancelot were horrified at Morgause’s death and Gaheris was banished from court. The narrative being what it is, Morgan’s reaction is not recorded, but her enmity with Arthur seemed to taper off after that. She went into small-scale acts of evil sorcery with the Queen of Northgalis as her partner. For instance, she allowed King Mark to talk her into using her sorceress connections to find an enemy of his…only to turn around and heal the young knight in question, swearing him to her service. She kept him at the castle of La Beale Regard. The castle’s true heiress soon showed up, brought the knight over to her side, then had the castle razed to the ground, once again proving that Morgan needed to stop underestimating other women.

It was possibly with that in mind that Morgan and the Queen of Northgalis cursed Elaine of Corbin, called the fairest lady in the land, leaving her to boil alive without ever dying until the best knight in the world came to rescue her. It’s a brutal act of spite. Of course, this could also have been an indirect attack on Arthur, as Lancelot’s rape by Elaine ends up triggering great turmoil at court, but predicting all of that might be beyond even Morgan’s talent for scheming.

In any case, Arthur’s court crumbled on its own, first losing many knights to the hopeless quest for the Sangreal before being shaken apart at the foundations when Mordred revealed Lancelot and Guinevere’s affair beyond any chance at denial. It was Mordred who took over the kingdom; it was he who led the final battle against Arthur and struck the blow that would kill him, even as he himself lay dying.

Arthur sent Bedivere, the sole knight remaining at his side, to throw Excalibur into the nearby waters. To Bedivere’s amazement, a hand rose to catch the blade. By the time he carried Arthur down to the water, a barge had arrived at the bank. Nimue was aboard it, and three queens: the Queen of the Waste Lands, the Queen of Northgalis and the Queen of Gore. Arthur laid his head in the lap of his sister and Morgan asked, gently, “Ah dear brother, why have ye tarried so long from me?” They disappeared together, across the water to Avalon. Neither were ever seen again.

Morgause and Morgan were ruthless women, in their different ways – Morgause being the pragmatic one, willing to overlook the blood on the hands of the men in her life if she got what she wanted out of it, while Morgan pursued power with a single-minded force of will and fierce cunning. What is so glorious about Malory’s women is that they are, above all other things, people. Their motivations may be obscure, but they are their own selves, making decisions in their own interests. They are not shadowy seductresses stalking the edges of Arthur’s court; these women are queens, and the daughters of a queen. Their lives might be tragedies, but they lived them proudly – the political matriarch and the warrior witch. They are not interchangeable at all.

These stories vary wildly depending on time and teller – I work with the sources I have to hand but if you know an alternative version I would love to hear it!

Originally posted on Wordpress

#my writing #ladies of legend #morgan le fay #morgana #morgause #arthurian legends #mythology #mythology girls #witches #tw: rape