Stranded by fluffssnowflake (R)
Title: Stranded
Fandom: Merlin BBC
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin (Arthur/Gwen)
Categories: Canon era, magic, time travel, beasts to kill, romance
Length: Medium (6,116)
Warnings: None
Author on LJ: fluffssnowflake
Author Website:
fluffssnowflake
Author's summary: When Merlin and Arthur find themselves in a tight spot, they get help from an unexpected source.
Review:
An older Arthur visits Camelot from the future to defeat some of Morgana's beasts... and to turn Merlin's world upside down, apparently.
It's not often I'm this happy about a story in which the magic reveal and several other important events happen 'off stage', but in their place, we get big revelations for Merlin. Present day Arthur (by which I mean Merlin's present in canon era) has been growing more wary of magic, and Merlin thinks he knows where it's all heading. But he'll be very surprised by future King Arthur in more ways than one.
"Merlin, I'd forgotten what an idiot you used to be."
"I'm glad I still amuse you," Merlin says, feeling his temper rise further, but it stutters to a halt when Arthur hands him a roll of parchment. He recognises the handwriting, and blinks before reading on.
"It's a spell," he says, his hands shaking.
"Well, I'm glad someone can read your handwriting," Arthur says, still looking amused. "And you'd better study that fast, because I don't think they passed through here very long ago."
"… So I'm not your servant anymore, then?" Merlin replies, relief making his heart thud loudly.
Arthur snorts. "As though you ever really were."
I loved the way Merlin imagines the worst about the situation, only to find that he feels closer to future Arthur than to the one he's known. I also liked that it eventually improves how he sees 'his' present day Arthur. There's humor too; Arthur doesn't like to be told what to do, even when it's his own self... maybe especially when it's himself. And Merlin is a joy here - very in character.
Stranded on AO3 | Stranded on LJ
Fandom: Merlin BBC
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin (Arthur/Gwen)
Categories: Canon era, magic, time travel, beasts to kill, romance
Length: Medium (6,116)
Warnings: None
Author on LJ: fluffssnowflake
Author Website:
fluffssnowflake
Author's summary: When Merlin and Arthur find themselves in a tight spot, they get help from an unexpected source.
Review:
An older Arthur visits Camelot from the future to defeat some of Morgana's beasts... and to turn Merlin's world upside down, apparently.
It's not often I'm this happy about a story in which the magic reveal and several other important events happen 'off stage', but in their place, we get big revelations for Merlin. Present day Arthur (by which I mean Merlin's present in canon era) has been growing more wary of magic, and Merlin thinks he knows where it's all heading. But he'll be very surprised by future King Arthur in more ways than one.
"Merlin, I'd forgotten what an idiot you used to be."
"I'm glad I still amuse you," Merlin says, feeling his temper rise further, but it stutters to a halt when Arthur hands him a roll of parchment. He recognises the handwriting, and blinks before reading on.
"It's a spell," he says, his hands shaking.
"Well, I'm glad someone can read your handwriting," Arthur says, still looking amused. "And you'd better study that fast, because I don't think they passed through here very long ago."
"… So I'm not your servant anymore, then?" Merlin replies, relief making his heart thud loudly.
Arthur snorts. "As though you ever really were."
I loved the way Merlin imagines the worst about the situation, only to find that he feels closer to future Arthur than to the one he's known. I also liked that it eventually improves how he sees 'his' present day Arthur. There's humor too; Arthur doesn't like to be told what to do, even when it's his own self... maybe especially when it's himself. And Merlin is a joy here - very in character.
Stranded on AO3 | Stranded on LJ