Merlin recs
Fics by gfeather: The Dragon within , In search of remembrance , Devotion
In search of remembrance - There is always a Warrior and a Warlock. Merlin and Arthur have lived six lifetimes together, the last of which ended over three centuries ago. Sensing Arthur's return, Merlin puts himself in a position to be at Arthur's side again, though his rebirth does not go as expected. Without his memories, Merlin struggles to control his wild magic, a task made all the more difficult when he arrives in Camelot and meets an arrogant prince who makes his magic sing.( mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;color:black;mso-themecolor:text1;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">(There is not a thing missing in this story: we have Arthur finding out, a life that transcends worlds, the one prophecy that matters is being fulfilled.)
The dragon within - In the aftermath of the Great Dragon’s attack on Camelot, the city is left with the enormous task of recovering from all it has lost. Left a broken man by the loss of Morgana and Kigharrah’s fiery rampage, Uther’s rule begins to fail. Arthur finds himself struggling to hold the kingdom together while Merlin slowly begins to discover all that becoming a Dragonlord entails. (Merlin has wings
But it’s a good refrain - Merlin is the host of a radio show named “Dragon’s Lonely Hearts” and Arthur goes through relationships that only last three months. When he calls in and has an on-air argument with th
e host, it starts off more than he expected, including meddling friends, over involved fans, and maybe love. (…and I want to have time with you when we finally decide to do that, even if we have been dating for a month unbeknownst to me.”)
August - Merlin and Arthur go to Ealdor in the summer (This was nothing like tumbling a milkmaid or an agreeable lording-there were no secrets here, hidden beneath their skin-and Arthur took his time, mapping the geography of Merlin’s neck, studying his newest territory. He was not a scholar, but he was a dutiful prince, and Merlin was his now, to guard and learn and tend for, to be had for as long as Arthur had the strength to keep him.)
For your information - Arthur comes out to his father about being gay. Uther doesn’t know how to handle it and so asks Merlin’s help. Ultimately he is offered on a plate for Arthur to date.
The lonely king - Arthur is the Prince of Wells, and he wants to renovate a school in Cardiff. Merlin is a homeroom teacher and is assigned to be Arthur’s help. Love follows swift and unmerciful.
Complications - The Olympics 2010 London = Arthur is a volley ball player in team with Gwaine; Merlin is a swimmer on the GB team. They meet in the Olympic Village and fall in love. ("Not all of us got press coverage for our name alone or a fucking guaranteed spot; some of us had to earn it and if you're embarrassed to be seen with the little people who worked their entire lives to compete here, maybe you should have stayed - home.")
Ashes, embers, flames - Merlin loses his flat-mate who leaves to Switzerland, and is about to lose his apartment. Arthur meets him at a party of Gwen’s and offers to let him stay at his house. Slowly a flame ignites between them, yet Arthur’s control hinders him to act on his attraction. Uther lost Ygraine and had long started his purge against magic and the battle for his rightful throne. He comes after Merlin and is about to burn him alive, yet Arthur’s love prevails and he is saved.
Coming up - Merlin can think of a billion reasons why moving to Camelot-on-Sea in the middle of his A-levels is a terrible idea. He would much rather play his guitar than work in his uncle’s chip shop and he has no intention of making friends. Until he joins head boy Arthur Pendragon’s wannabe-Britpop band and finds himself falling head over heels for the stuck-up prat… (Arthur's hand brushes lightly against his leg, an accident, Merlin supposes, but he doesn't move it, just lets it rest there on his thigh, and Merlin feels suddenly tense with arousal. He shifts, just slightly, hoping that Arthur will realize and move it, but he doesn't. Merlin feels his breathing speed up, sure that it's audible, especially since they only have one ear bud each. He lets his gaze flicker across to Arthur's face, only to find Arthur's eyes on him already. He takes in Arthur's blue eyes and the way his hair falls in front of them, his neck, exposed beneath Merlin's prior efforts to loosen his collar, his lips, soft-looking, quirked into a quizzical smile. He's so young and beautiful and so everything Merlin wants in the world that he finds he can't breathe. And then Arthur must see something of this overwhelming desire in his face, because his lazy smile slips, replaced by something more serious, almost hungry. It's Arthur who moves, it has to be, because Merlin is frozen with awe and want, pinned beneath his gaze, and not at all prepared for the sudden, warm feeling of Arthur's lips on his.// He records over the mix tape he made with Avalon's songs on it. He can't listen to Arthur singing about love, not when he has to watch him acting it out with someone else right in front of his eyes. He can't listen to any of the songs they listened to together on the beach either. He hates Arthur a little bit for taking the music away from him, too, for having tainted it so that he can't listen to his favorite songs without thinking about him. He fills a tape instead with all the angry songs he owns. He sits hunched over his 12 string at break times and strums his guitar with more venom than even the angriest of angry songs deserves. It doesn't really make him feel better.)
Stars above and stars below - After the disastrous end of his betrothal to Gwen and the regret of his offer to Princess Mithian, Arthur swears off finding a wife until he’s ready to wed. When Merlin offers himself to Arthur as bedmate, Arthur suggests they hand-fast in secret for a single year of mutual pleasure without obligation. As their year together unfolds, and secrets and betrayals unravel around them, Arthur and Merlin learn there is no such thing as uncomplicated pleasure. Everything they thought they knew can change in the span of a single year. (After the end of that year Merlin becomes Arthur’s without any secrets)
In search of remembrance - There is always a Warrior and a Warlock. Merlin and Arthur have lived six lifetimes together, the last of which ended over three centuries ago. Sensing Arthur's return, Merlin puts himself in a position to be at Arthur's side again, though his rebirth does not go as expected. Without his memories, Merlin struggles to control his wild magic, a task made all the more difficult when he arrives in Camelot and meets an arrogant prince who makes his magic sing.( mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:
minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;color:black;mso-themecolor:text1;mso-ansi-language:
EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">(There is not a thing missing in this story: we have Arthur finding out, a life that transcends worlds, the one prophecy that matters is being fulfilled.)
The dragon within - In the aftermath of the Great Dragon’s attack on Camelot, the city is left with the enormous task of recovering from all it has lost. Left a broken man by the loss of Morgana and Kigharrah’s fiery rampage, Uther’s rule begins to fail. Arthur finds himself struggling to hold the kingdom together while Merlin slowly begins to discover all that becoming a Dragonlord entails. (Merlin has wings
But it’s a good refrain - Merlin is the host of a radio show named “Dragon’s Lonely Hearts” and Arthur goes through relationships that only last three months. When he calls in and has an on-air argument with th
e host, it starts off more than he expected, including meddling friends, over involved fans, and maybe love. (…and I want to have time with you when we finally decide to do that, even if we have been dating for a month unbeknownst to me.”)
August - Merlin and Arthur go to Ealdor in the summer (This was nothing like tumbling a milkmaid or an agreeable lording-there were no secrets here, hidden beneath their skin-and Arthur took his time, mapping the geography of Merlin’s neck, studying his newest territory. He was not a scholar, but he was a dutiful prince, and Merlin was his now, to guard and learn and tend for, to be had for as long as Arthur had the strength to keep him.)
For your information - Arthur comes out to his father about being gay. Uther doesn’t know how to handle it and so asks Merlin’s help. Ultimately he is offered on a plate for Arthur to date.
The lonely king - Arthur is the Prince of Wells, and he wants to renovate a school in Cardiff. Merlin is a homeroom teacher and is assigned to be Arthur’s help. Love follows swift and unmerciful.
Complications - The Olympics 2010 London = Arthur is a volley ball player in team with Gwaine; Merlin is a swimmer on the GB team. They meet in the Olympic Village and fall in love. ("Not all of us got press coverage for our name alone or a fucking guaranteed spot; some of us had to earn it and if you're embarrassed to be seen with the little people who worked their entire lives to compete here, maybe you should have stayed - home.")
Ashes, embers, flames - Merlin loses his flat-mate who leaves to Switzerland, and is about to lose his apartment. Arthur meets him at a party of Gwen’s and offers to let him stay at his house. Slowly a flame ignites between them, yet Arthur’s control hinders him to act on his attraction. Uther lost Ygraine and had long started his purge against magic and the battle for his rightful throne. He comes after Merlin and is about to burn him alive, yet Arthur’s love prevails and he is saved.
Coming up - Merlin can think of a billion reasons why moving to Camelot-on-Sea in the middle of his A-levels is a terrible idea. He would much rather play his guitar than work in his uncle’s chip shop and he has no intention of making friends. Until he joins head boy Arthur Pendragon’s wannabe-Britpop band and finds himself falling head over heels for the stuck-up prat… (Arthur's hand brushes lightly against his leg, an accident, Merlin supposes, but he doesn't move it, just lets it rest there on his thigh, and Merlin feels suddenly tense with arousal. He shifts, just slightly, hoping that Arthur will realize and move it, but he doesn't. Merlin feels his breathing speed up, sure that it's audible, especially since they only have one ear bud each. He lets his gaze flicker across to Arthur's face, only to find Arthur's eyes on him already. He takes in Arthur's blue eyes and the way his hair falls in front of them, his neck, exposed beneath Merlin's prior efforts to loosen his collar, his lips, soft-looking, quirked into a quizzical smile. He's so young and beautiful and so everything Merlin wants in the world that he finds he can't breathe. And then Arthur must see something of this overwhelming desire in his face, because his lazy smile slips, replaced by something more serious, almost hungry. It's Arthur who moves, it has to be, because Merlin is frozen with awe and want, pinned beneath his gaze, and not at all prepared for the sudden, warm feeling of Arthur's lips on his.// He records over the mix tape he made with Avalon's songs on it. He can't listen to Arthur singing about love, not when he has to watch him acting it out with someone else right in front of his eyes. He can't listen to any of the songs they listened to together on the beach either. He hates Arthur a little bit for taking the music away from him, too, for having tainted it so that he can't listen to his favorite songs without thinking about him. He fills a tape instead with all the angry songs he owns. He sits hunched over his 12 string at break times and strums his guitar with more venom than even the angriest of angry songs deserves. It doesn't really make him feel better.)
Stars above and stars below - After the disastrous end of his betrothal to Gwen and the regret of his offer to Princess Mithian, Arthur swears off finding a wife until he’s ready to wed. When Merlin offers himself to Arthur as bedmate, Arthur suggests they hand-fast in secret for a single year of mutual pleasure without obligation. As their year together unfolds, and secrets and betrayals unravel around them, Arthur and Merlin learn there is no such thing as uncomplicated pleasure. Everything they thought they knew can change in the span of a single year. (After the end of that year Merlin becomes Arthur’s without any secrets)