M/A fic rec
Title: eleven thousand kings
Author: f_vikus
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Major character death
Word Count: 6,749
Summary: The Old Religion abides by one rule only: for every life made, there must be one given.
What possessed me to read this fic, holy shit. (Well the answer would be trimming down on my "unread" tag...)
It's a heavy dose of angst for sure, but really, on the same level as 5.13. (Funny how after the Merlin finale, character death seems to be a much easier pill to swallow.) It's also future fic, which means we get to see court sorcerer!Merlin and king!Arthur so that eases the sting a little, which isn't much.
Really, the love Merlin bears for Arthur in this fic is just about canon. And there are so many beautiful turns of phrase. My rec is not doing this justice for sure! Just remember to have tissues handy.