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#merthur prompt
star-rie · 1 day
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Merlin always pesters arthur to get him a day off but when it DOES happens, merlin somehow found himself back to arthur’s chambers, not to do his chores but to give him a shit eating grin (which he also do on not-off days, most servants ended up covering merlin’s work because he was so bad at it💀)
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larluce · 2 days
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Merlin as Arthur's familiar/Arthur's shapeshifter falcon AU
@dsabian , @theplatanitosqueal , @stressed-but-chill , @gregre369 , @chaosofbelievers , @thelordofabsolutelynothing , @another-tblr-fangirl , @aceauthorcatqueen , tagging you since you liked the other parts ^^
LINK TO THE OTHER PARTS: PART 1 , PART 2 , PART 3 , PART 4 , PART 5
In Arthur's chambers.
Arthur: (sleeping peacefully)😴
Merlin: (flies above him, chirping and picking at him)
Arthur: (still half-asleep) Hmmm... Merlin, not now (covers himself with the blanket to go back to sleep)
Merlin: (changes to human form and falls on Arthur)
Arthur: (out of breath for a moment and shouts) What the-Merlin! 😠
Merlin: (very excited, jumping in Arthur's lap) It's happening! It's finally hapenning! 😄
Arthur: What is happening? (looks the sun isn't even up through the window) And so early? (rubs his eyes)
Merlin: The eggs! They're hatching! (gets off Arthur and runs to the window where the nest is)
Arthur: (getp up, drowsiness finally gone) What? Really? (runs to the nest too)
Merlin: (points at one egg) Look!
Chick 1: (gets out of his shell all damp with lots of bare, pink skin exposed)
Merlin: ...
Arthur: ...
Merlin: He... he is...
Arthur: Ugly?
Merlin: Was I like this when I was a chick?
Arthur: You are a magical entity, Merlin, you were never a chick.
Merlin: Oh, thank the gods!
Chick 2: (gets out of her shell)
Merlin: (smiles) Oh, this one is a female!😊
Arthur: How can you know so soon?
Merlin: Magical entity.
Arthur: Right. (waits a moment, but nothing happens) How long until the others hatch?
Merlin: It could take the entire day. (holds the eggs and the chicks carefully and puts them in Arthur's hands)
Arthur: (scared as fuck as he holds them) WOW! Wait! What are you doing?! 😨😱
Merlin: You have to keep them warm.
Arthur: (whisper yelling) I can't incubate them! I'm gonna crush them!
Merlin: You don't have to sit on them just hold them close to your body to keep them warm. Meanwhile (stretches his limbs and cracks his knuckles and neck) I'll stretch my wings for a bit. 😊
Arthur: You're leaving me with these little merlins just so you can take a fly?! 😠
Merlin: (suddenly serious) Yes, Arthur, I've been incubating them for a whole month without a single break and now I want to fly for a couple of hours. Is that too much to ask?
Arthur: ...
Merlin: (raises his voice) I said is that too much to ask?
Arthur: No, no, no, not at all. Go ahead.
Merlin: Awww, thank you 😄. I'll be back soon. (changes to bird form and flies away)
Arthur: ...
Arthur: (to the two chicks and the 3 eggs, holding them closely) Your mom is very scary, boys.
Chick 2: (chirps a little)
Arthur: And girl. Right, you're a girl. (walks to the bed very slowly, sits and yawns) There you go. Now I have to stay awake (yawns) until Merlin comes back.
3 hours later. Arthur is asleep again, the chicks and the eggs close to his bare chest.
Chick 1 and 2: (chirp loudly)
Arthur: (half asleep) Shut up, Merlin (about to move, but suddenly remembers) The chicks! (completely awake now, but doesn't dare to move and looks down fearfully, thinking) Please be alive, please be alive.
Chick 3: (comes out of his shell)
Arthur: (sighs in relief and smiles) Only two more left. (holds carefully the chicks and the eggs with his hands and sits slowly) Oh, you're fluffy now. (taps chick 1 and 2 on the head whose plumage now is white and downy) You're still ugly though. (Looks at the eggs closely, worried) Please tell me you made those cracks.
Merlin: (appears and lands on the nest holding a death bird with his beak)
Arthur: Oh, thank the gods you're back! (walks to him and puts the eggs and chicks back to the nest carefully) And you brought food.
Merlin: (sits on the eggs to keep incubating them and starts feeding the chicks)
Arthur: If you needed food you could've just told me. I would've sent my hunters for food.
Merlin: (chirps)
Arthur: But then I wouldn't let you take a fly. Very smart. (Yawns and looks through the window) Servants are going to bring my breakfast soon. You better use that invisible spell of yours before they do (yawns and goes back to bed)
3 days later, all five chicks are now out of their shell and are bigger. To Arthur, they look like fluffy little white balls with very angry faces. He takes turns with Merlin to keep them warm and to hunt for food. Today it was Arthur's turn to feed them while Merlin stretched his wings a bit.
Arthur: (scolds while he feeds the chicks raw meat using a tweezer) No! Don't steal your brother's food! Bad, bad! 😠 (someone knocks his chambers' doors and he hides the nest behind him quickly and demands) Who is it?
Morgana: (from outside) Morgana.
Arthur: (sighs relieved and relaxes) Come in.
Morgana: (enters, singing happily) Where are my favourite nephews! 🤗
Arthur: (blushes) They are not your...! or mine... I'm just helping Merlin look after them.
Morgana: (Looks at the tweezer in Arthur's hand) Is that Gaius' medical tweezer?
Arthur: They wouldn't stop pecking my fingers. Like this they won't take my fingers off when I feed them.
Morgana: (takes the tweezer) Let me help. (Starts feeding the chicks)
Arthur: Oh, not to 1. He already ate a lot.
Morgana: (confused) 1?
Arthur: Yeah, the one with a number 1 in his head.
Morgana: ...
Arthur: You know, because he came out of his shell first. And this one is 2 because she came out se-
Morgana: You named your children after numbers and put numbers on their heads with ink?! 😡
Arthur: They are not my children! 😠. They are not even 'children'! And how else was I supposed to identify them?!
Chicks: (chirp louder)
Morgana: Now you made them cry.
Arthur: They are crying because you are not feeding them. (Takes the tweezer and continues feeding them)
Morgana: I can't believe Merlin let you name them like that.
Arthur: He didn't want to name them at all.
Morgana: (Confused) What?
Arthur: He doesn't want to get too attached to them since they're gonna leave as soon as they learn how to fly. (Sighs, feeling guilty) And I guess he's afraid of getting attached again to any merlin since...
Morgana: Since you killed Claws?
Arthur: (looks at the window, frantic, and then back to Morgana) Shut up! Merlin could be back at any moment!
Morgana: Didn't it occurred to you that maybe Merlin doesn't want to get attached to them because he knows you don't want to get attached to them?
Arthur: What?
Morgana: He adopted those chicks, Arthur. For you they may be just birds but for Merlin they are more than that. How do you think a single parent feels when their current partner doesn't accept their children?
Arthur: I... didn't think of it that way.
Morgana: So you realize that if you want to be with Merlin you'll have to be their parent too, right?
Arthur: I guess... (looks at the chicks) Fuck.
Morgana: You despise the idea that much?
Arthur: Is not that. It's just... I'm barely 18! I didn't expect to be a father so soon. And I expected my children to be, you know, human.
Morgana: You also expected your one true love to be a beautiful princess and here we are. (sighs) So? Do you still want to be with Merlin?
Arthur: ...
Time skip. Merlin with Arthur in his chamabers.
Merlin: (in his human form, after trying a spell on the nest) I did it! (jumps happily)
Arthur: (gets closer, curious) What did you do?
Merlin: Oh, I improved the invisible spell on the nest, now no one who isn't us or Morgana can see the chicks while they are there.
Arthur: That's great!
Merlin: Yeah, I don't have to make the spell constantly anymore and you won't get caught by your father. They are even save from other raptors now. It took me a while to get it right. (his smile gets sad)
Arthur: (concerned) What is it?
Merlin: Nothing, it's just... They... they don't need incubation anymore, but I... I still want to embrace them. But I can't, there's no need anymore.
Arthur: Merlin-
Merlin: (his eyes tearing) I know I'm not supposed to love them, I'm not really his dad or anything. I'm not even a real falcon.
Arthur: Merlin-
Merlin: And I know you didn't want them here in the first place, but-
Arthur: (shouts) Merlin!
Merlin: (startles)
Arthur: (extends his hand to Merlin and says softly, smiling) Would you dance with me?
Merlin: (blushes, confused) Wha... what? 😳
Arthur: Would you give me the honor to share a flying dance with me?
Merlin: I... (still very red and confused) but you... you don't have-
Arthur: Humans can also dance, you know? It's true I have no wings, but I can make you fly if you let me.
Merlin: (smiles widely, eyes watering) I'd love to.
And they dance. Arthur discovers that, while Merlin is very agil with his bird wings, he's very clumsy with his human legs, but he lets himself be guided by Arthur all the time. There are stomps, there are laughs, but they soon find a comfortable pace and Merlin ends up with his arms around Arthur's neck, and Arthur with his hands on Merlin's hips, dancing slowly at the rhythm of the music of their hearts.
Merlin: (still dancing with Arthur, confused) Are we supposed to mate now?
Arthur: (laughs softly) There's no rush for that. But I want you to be my partner. My mate if you want to call it that way. I love you, Merlin, and I want to be with you and have a family with you.
Merlin: Oh... (gets a little sad) But we're both male, we can't... (opens his eyes wide) Or can we? 😲
Arthur: No, two males can't.. procreate, but we don't need to worry about that. (Points at the nest with his head) We already have a family together.
Merlin: (Gets so happy he might cry and kisses Arthur on the lips in a fit of joy)
Arthur: (In shock for a moment, but soon kisses back and they kiss for a long time)
Merlin: (separates the kiss, but keeps their faces close, catching his breath) Did I... Did I do it correctly? I saw some humans do that with their mates.
Arthur: (smiles wide) You did it wonderfully.
Merlin: Arthur?
Arthur: Yeah?
Merlin: I think I love you romantically.
...
Just so you know, this is how the chicks look:
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justaz · 1 day
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arthur (prince of camelot) still has to study under a tutor bc yknow uther wants him to be very intelligent before becoming king or something bc its super important idk idc anyways merlin is doing chores in his chambers while arthur is squinting at a book and merlin eventually caves and asks him what he’s reading and arthur gruffly explains that its a collection of stories from greece that make absolutely no sense so merlin asks him to read them outloud to him. arthur of course teases him and calls him an idiot and asks how he could possibly help but does as he’s asked and reads the stories to merlin as he does his chores. merlin (being crushed under the weight of destiny and tormented by the prophecies that kilgharrah spews) understands the stories almost immediately and gets all excited and starts rambling about them with arthur. arthur is glad to have someone who understands so he can give something that reflects a hint of understanding to his tutor who accepts it and moves onto the next unit of education.
the thing is, arthur finds more stories in camelot’s library and brings them up to his room to read them aloud to merlin under the guise of completing his studies but really he just wants to watch as merlin’s eyes gleam when he understands whats happening and listen to him ramble on and on about them bc he’s gay. the stories stick with merlin though and he realizes that they’re cautionary tales, that the heroes who were told too much of their future doomed themself to fulfill them - that them fighting the prophecies led to their completion. merlin takes it to heart and gives a big “fuck you” to kilgharrah before forging his own fate and helping morgana with her magic and handing out an olive branch to mordred and now everyone can live happily and peacefully in an albion teeming with magic.
#merlin and arthur are of course at each others side in the end#merlin is curled up with arthur in their bed and says a silent thank you to his king for saving him#arthur returns the sentiment wholeheartedly#bbc merlin#merlin emrys#arthur pendragon#merthur#fic idea#fanfic#fanfiction#headcanon#hc#head canon#merthur prompt#i have my own hc of fate vs destiny in bbc merlin and i like to incorporate that into everything i write#but then i realize that not everyone thinks that way lmao#i like to think that destiny is unavoidable. merlin and arthur are destined to form albion and lead it together#i think fate is like a fragile version of destiny#i think most people are tied to fate and will follow what they are fated to do unless those who arent tied down by fate change course#like i hc that seers are able to see the potential future of what is to happen should they not interfere#and the goddess leaves it up to them to choose. so like seers arent tied down by fate and can change the course of history#since merlin is literally magic incarnate i also think he isnt tied down by fate and can act to change things#kilgharrah told merlin the prophecy that would result in the dragon getting free and ending the pendragon line#and since merlin never got close w like any druids or magic users. no one told him the inner workings of fate vs destiny#so he listened to the dragons warnings dooming him to fulfill the prophecy that brought about one of the worst possible futures#bc the dragon was salty about his whole species being eradicated by uther and vowed to destroy the pendragon line#omg im ranting okay post over thank you and good night
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pigfacedbitch · 8 months
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Merlin: Have you ever wondered what your future wife is doing?
Arthur: Husband.
Merlin: What?
Arthur: Future husband. And he's about to say 'Ow'.
Merlin: What do you mean- [ Arthur flicks his forehead before walking away ] OW! You're such an ass- WAIT.
more incorrect quotes here!
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whydon-twego · 10 months
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"You have Arthur's complete trust" Merlin laughs when Gwen tells him this and asks her what she is talking about.
Gwen looks at him strangely, as if she thinks Merlin is joking but then she sees Merlin's expression and can't hide her surprise.
"Merlin, you do realise that you're the person Arthur trusts most in the world, right?" Merlin chuckles again but this time it is with a sense of guilt and annoyance that won't let him alone.
"I don't think so."
Gwen, who until then had been mending one of Morgana's dresses, puts down her needle and thread and looks at him seriously, Merlin doesn't think he has ever seen her like that.
"You two fooling around and teasing each other is fine, Merlin, but you can't really think Arthur doesn't trust you. You can come and go from his rooms as you please, whether he's there or not, you have the keys to his room, and you're the only person who has them, and the whole castle knows perfectly well that Arthur has priceless things in there. I know you shave him every morning and believe me, that is not the job of a manservant,"
"But he is the one who-"


"That's right, Merlin. He's the one who."
Gwen seems genuinely annoyed that Merlin doesn't grasp how much Arthur trusts him, and Merlin finds himself having a chasm in his chest because he doesn't want to think about it. He doesn't want to think about Arthur's trust in him, he doesn't want to think that Arthur thinks Merlin is a person worthy of his trust, because Arthur is the most noble and sincere person in the world and Merlin is hiding most of his life from him.
"I have to go, Gwen."
Merlin leaves everything where he is and does not even turn around when Gwen (probably guilt-ridden from that lecture) calls him back.
Merlin hides in the first crevice he finds and struggles to breathe.
He struggles to breathe because Arthur trusts him and he knows it, but he tries to think about it as little as possible. He tries to live life day by day and not think about tomorrow and how long it is that he is lying to him. He tries not to have a heart attack every time Arthur looks at him and smiles or pats him on the back saying "good job!" or when Arthur is the first to worry about him when they are attacked by bandits.
Merlin tries not to think about Arthur's scream when they were separated on a mission and Merlin had to drop rocks to protect him. He tries not to think about the time he had to steal the keys from Arthur's room and Arthur, finding him in the room early in the morning, didn't bat an eyelid at the excuse of the woodworms because Arthur trusts him and simply told him to leave.
Merlin is a horrible person who does not deserve this kind of trust, not when he is lying to the most important person in his life.
"Breathe."
Merlin, caught in the middle of a panic attack he didn't even realise was happening, jerks at the voice and Arthur's hand resting on his shoulder.
"Breathe, Merlin, come on, in and out, calmly, follow me" Arthur takes deep breaths and Merlin tries to keep up with him but Arthur's mere presence makes the situation worse and Merlin finds himself with tears in his eyes as Arthur looks at him more and more worried.
"Gwen!" shouts Arthur then and Gwen is at his side within moments "Go get Gaius, I can't move Merlin from here in this condition."
Gwen looks at Merlin and she's so worried and feeling so guilty that Merlin wants to say something to her but is already so much if he can breathe.
Gwen leaves and Arthur and Merlin are alone and Arthur strokes his back trying to calm him down and Merlin bursts into tears. 
Arthur lays a hand on his shoulder and settles him on top of him, not holding him too tightly for fear of Merlin's breathing getting worse.
"I was looking all over for you, you know? I thought you'd be at the tavern or having fun somewhere and instead, I find you here doing the doppol-head."
Merlin laughs between sighs and sobs and Arthur continues.
"You have a myriad of tasks to do. My armour is completely ruined, I have no idea where my sword is and you were supposed to revise my speech for this afternoon but apparently, you had better things to do."
Merlin's breathing calmed and he was finally able to concentrate better, noticing that the king was sitting on the dirt floor next to him and practically rocking him.
"Arthur…"
Arthur turns his head slightly but they still can't make eye contact.
"I have magic."
Arthur stiffens and Merlin already feels lost without his king by his side even though he is still physically there.
"Alright," Arthur murmurs and Merlin gets up to look at him because there is no way he is hearing correctly. Arthur turns to look at him and his expression isn't the happiest but Merlin can't blame him "we've been through a lot worse, haven't we?"
And etiquette be damned, what is right or not right to do at court, Merlin throws himself onto his king and holds him as if he never wants to let him go again, holds him trying to tell him everything he is unable to say right now in words.
Arthur holds him just as tightly and Merlin finally knows that everything will be all right.
And that is how Gwen and Gaius find them, embraced tightly in the middle of a corridor in Camelot.
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More merthur fics where Merlin “disappears” and Arthur absolutely looses his shit and Merlin gets to watch in stupefied awe as Arthur disproves all of Merlin’s insecurities.
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Vampire Arthur: [chuckling] We're like two sides of the same coin.
Merlin: [freezes]
Vampire Arthur: [concerned] Merlin?
Merlin: [tears falling] Fuck, hearing that shouldn't make me cry. He would've called me a girl for crying, I uh [wipes away his tears] shit, sorry. [tries to smile]
Vampire Arthur: [curious and slightly jealous] Who?
Merlin: [shakes his head] Someone from my past, anyways—
Vampire Arthur: [holds Merlin shoulders trying to peer into Merlin's eyes] Tell me who holds your heart still?
Merlin: [looks back at Arthur then to the side] A King, whom I'll wait forever for even if it kills me each day to do so.
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Cat Arthur: [sees Merlin sleeping]
Cat Merlin: [napping on a cushion Morgana bought for him]
Cat Arthur: "You know, you never used to sleep this much when we were humans." [Nudges Merlin with his snout, whiskers twitching]
Cat Merlin: [yawning, one eye open] "That's because I don't have to run after you cleaning your royal mess. Now let me sleep, this cushion needs my attention." [Closes eye, ready to sleep again]
Cat Arthur: [miffed at his mate beginning to ignore him, before climbing and laying on top of the black cat]
Cat Merlin: [sighing] "Seriously Arthur?"
Cat Arthur: [growls, roughly licking Merlin's ears and head in typical prattish response]
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marcskywalker · 6 months
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Wait I just thought of it.
Imagine au where after merlin confesses to his magic, at the end he was somehow able to save Arthur. They make it back to Camelot but there is some awkwardness between the two, like they've forgotten how to act around eo.
After years of hiding, Merlin is hesitant to show Arthur his magic, to make himself vulnerable to his King in that way. And Arthur takes longer to believe merlin's stories, there are more questions and double takes than there used to be.
Merlin tries to return the sigil one day, thinking that he doesn't deserve to have it since he doesn't have Arthur's full and unwavering trust any more (his words not the king's).
Arthur presses it back into his palms, "It's a gift, Merlin. You keep those."
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obviously inspired by:
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mysticsublimeperson · 1 month
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I want to express my frustration because... im trying to write some time travel Merthur fanfic as one does...
and I keep hitting my head against the same wall. Because just in case you didn't know England SUCKED before imperialism and colonialism.
Not that that made it better but, the English isles didn't have a variety of fruits or vegetables, the did have meat and fish and salt I think, but no sugar or way of producing it but honey if I remember correctly.
And admittedly climate change is a pain in the ass, but in medieval times the winters probably consisted in huge blizzards and freezing for 4 months.
They didn't even had tea!!!
All the good stuff its because of colonialism which is horrible for the world but whatever.
Im trying so hard to ignore this facts... to be free and write about silly angsty boys but I needed someone to know how difficult it is.
Because Merlin having lived in a 21 century would have spent since the 16th drinking bloody tea, and now he is back in time and doesn't have tea, doesn't even have sugar, it's a pain in the ass to get milk, and he can't even get his favorites foods because the fruits and vegetables aren't even evolved yet.
BECAUSE YES! All of the greens have suffered a tremendous amount of change because of selective farming!! so even if there were apples back there, they probably wasn't the same apple, probably weren't even half as sweet as they are now a days!
Same with animals, and plants. Many of the species have gone extinct but they existed back then. And im dying for a chance to bring this into the fic, to prove just how difficult the transition it's, but a the same time, it doesn't matter right? not really.
bUT I NEEDED TO VENT A LITTLE SO thank you for listening to my rant.
Also im not even a history girly, im an art babe, so all of this I know by logic and assumptions from my art history clases, and my hyper fixation, so obviously take everything with a grain of salt.
((It's just that I was cooking and I was trying to think which ingredients were available at that time to make the most simple dish but no, there was almost none, no spices, no tomato, I think the had cabbage, and like broccoli because its the same plant, but probably wasn't evolved into all of the different versions we know, they had beans, and lentils I think, the potatoes come from South America, so no potatoes, the had bread but what kind of bread??? sO YEAH, this is my head.. all the time))
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Merlin Prompt/Idea:
Arthur calls a meeting of his inner round table (those that sat with him at the table of the ancient kings) except Merlin. He also tells everyone else not to tell Merlin. At this meeting they decide that Merlin will have a seat at the Royal Round Table.
Why is Merlin getting an official seat at the official and highly sought after Royal Round Table?
Because Arthur wants to marry him, of course!
This is step one to getting all the stuck up nobles to except Merlin as Arthur’s choice of spouse.
Does Merlin know that that’s Arthur’s intention with his appointment? No.
Does Merlin know that Arthur wants to marry him? No.
Does Merlin even know that Arthur has feelings for him? No.
Is Merlin increasing frustrated that he keeps getting excluded from half of the inner circle meetings despite gaining a seat at the official one? Yes.
Is Merlin going to give Arthur a piece of his mind once finds out that this entire roundabout thing was just a plot to get him as his husband? Undoubtedly.
Is Merlin going to be completely badass and show his capability as “queen” despite not knowing what’s going on? Absolutely.
What are the next steps?
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star-rie · 27 days
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one of the things i wish to see is arthur fanboying over merlin and just looking at him in awe
(merlin doing magic for crime)
arthur: wow you're really cool, please marry me
merlin: what
arthur: what
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larluce · 3 hours
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The amount of fics I've seen with this prompt, I swear! XD
My tik tok account -> HERE
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zoyalaaai · 9 days
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#3 of random merlin prompts:
AU - canon divergence, where Kilgharrah lied about the prophecy intendeding Arthur‘s (& Morgana‘s) death to end the Pendragon line. The dragon alters the prophecy just enough for his own interests that Arthur can lead Albion into the new era before he‘s supposed to meet his death at Camlann.
The key part he switches is that it was Merlin all along who was supposed to rule beside Arthur, as his King Consort and openly as the powerful sorcerer he is. But when Arthur starts falling for Gwen, Kilgharrah sees his opportunity to simply switch one servant for another with dire consequences.
And Merlin being Merlin does everything it takes to see the fake prophecy come true, even if it will break his heart.
Added bonus: Arthur doesn’t listen to bullshit prophecies and marries Merlin anyway and lives.
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pigfacedbitch · 8 months
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If Gwaine found Arthur and Merlin instead of Leon...
Gwaine: [ narrows eyes ] What's going on here?
Arthur: Uh... Merlin, tell him what we're doing.
Merlin: Poetry!
Gwaine: Is that so?
Merlin: I'm surprised as you are! He can't get enough of it.
Gwaine: ...Can I join?
Arthur: ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ [ pushes Gwaine out of the room and closes it ]
Gwaine: Arthur, please! I want some poetry too.
Merlin: [ confused ] W-What does he mean-
Arthur: Shush, let's just continue.
more incorrect quotes here!
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whydon-twego · 9 months
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Merlin is so tired.
Physically and mentally tired.
Arthur, being in a bad mood, has been running him around more than usual, giving him tasks that generally wouldn't even be his. Gaius has requested herbs for a strange cold that keeps spreading through the citadel and leaving everyone tired and helpless for several days (and, in his defense, Gaius would have fetched them himself were it not for the fact that the herbs grow in a land with terrain too bumpy for Gaius' not-so-young legs) and he has stayed awake for more than forty-eight hours straight to eradicate a dark spirit roaming the castle.
All this is to say that Merlin is really tired.
But when has that ever stopped Arthur from demanding and demanding and demanding?
And so it is with trembling legs and eyes that want to close of their own accord that Merlin serves Arthur a drink while Arthur dines in his own room because he has better things to do than dine with his father and Morgana.
"You are unusually quiet this evening, Merlin."
Merlin nods because that's all he can do, even talking seems a gigantic effort.
Perhaps if he closes his eyes for a few moments he will be able to recover.
"Merlin, are you listening?"
Only for a few seconds, he is standing anyway, nothing can happen.
"Merlin!"
+++
Merlin has never felt so warm and so comfortable in all his life.
He does not know how he got into bed or how his bed is suddenly so comfortable (nor how it is so warm in his room as it is freezing on those winter days) but he is too comfortable to ask himself any more questions and feels so protected, so safe. Everything is fine.
"You are a bad bedfellow, Merlin, you really do get too worked up."
Merlin would like to say that the sound of Arthur's voice surprises him so much that it wakes him up, but the truth is that Arthur's voice only makes him feel safer, almost more protected, as if the fact that Arthur is there only makes things better.
Merlin sighs blissfully and mumbles an apology as he stretches out an arm and goes to get more comfortable with his head on Arthur's chest (because Arthur is letting him and Merlin is really too tired to think) and Arthur's arm around his waist.
"I don't know what the hell you've been up to lately but know that this is no way to reduce yourself. I will give you the morning off tomorrow but only because I am a magnanimous prince and you should be grateful to me for the rest of your life, do you understand me, Merlin?"


Merlin nods and his cheek rubs against Arthur's chest, his chest hair tickling.
Merlin lifts his face with closed eyes and snaps a kiss on Arthur's cheek (or whatever part of Arthur he can reach, he's not sure if he's got the cheek) and mumbles some kind of thanks.
And if Merlin were more awake he would realise what he has just done.
But Merlin is tired.
And Arthur is a benevolent prince.
Arthur kisses Merlin's forehead and bids him sleep.
Merlin doesn't let him say it twice.
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