Merlin Fic: Thus Were They Led Away
So, Merlin has kind of eaten my brain, I’ve even changed my layout, well I also changed my layout because I was stupid enough to look through minty_peach. Any way I needed to write fic, so here be fic in which I slaughter Arthurian cannon for character interaction and hints of femmeslash, YAY! (Mora do not kill me in my sleep, please). So enjoy.
Title: Thus Were They Led Away
Genre: Angst/Reflection
Characters & Pairings: Morgana, Gwen, Morgana/Gwen/Arthur/Merlin, Gwen/Lancelot
Summary [please read]: Since Merlin takes so many liberties with the myth in their youth, I decided to do the same for later on. This is a future fic, which takes liberties with who accompanies Arthur’s body in the boat to Avalon. I have made it so Gwen is in the boat with Morgana, I don’t mention any of the other queens but I kind of assumed they would be in there too. Basically Morgana’s reflection on how Morgana, Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin’s lives went. Title is a reference to a line in Book 21 Chapter 6 of Le Morte D’Arthur, which is actually “thus was he [Arthur] led away.”
Disclaimer: I don’t own BBC’s Merlin and their characterizations, and apologies to Malory for changing the story.
Notes: Unbetaed as usual so any comments or notes are even more appreciated. Thanks.
Thus Were They Led Away
"My Queen." Morgana says as she reaches out a hand to help her into the boat.
"My lady." Gwen responds as she takes a seat at Arthur's opposite shoulder.
Morgana starts at the title. Those words having long ago stopped passing Gwen’s lips. They catch each other’s eye and it is too much for Morgana then and she turns her face away as the boat is pushed from the shore, she turns from Gwen, no, Guinevere. Their history too present in this moment, she looks down at the body between them, and feels a sob rise in her throat. They are the only two left now, Gwen and Morgana. She doubts even they are left now, all too tied up in the titles of queen and enchantress.
Morgana remembers how it used to be. Remembers the fumbling Merlin, the ever good and sweet Gwen, the prattish Arthur, and herself, impetuous and stubborn. Morgana remembers the many times they had gone against Uther's orders to save each other. She thinks of the time they all fought to save Merlin's village, a need to protect each other and those who were unjustly punished burning deep in all four of their chests. When they had returned Uther had been furious. Gwen and Merlin had been let off lightly, after all, servants were supposed to follow their masters. Morgana and Arthur had been forced to stay behind and they were seriously worried they might be put in the stocks with how Uther was going on, but at the end he had just looked at them, sat down in his throne, sighed and said: "Oh, go change and get some rest." The two nobles had found their servants nervously waiting in front of the hallways to their chambers, Merlin looking at Arthur, Gwen at Morgana.
They were silent before Merlin finally said: "How bad?"
Gwen worried her lip with her teeth and looked so guilty and nervous Morgana had just wanted to hug her. Morgana had finally looked over to Arthur and they smiled wearily at each other before she had said: "It will be fine." She had smiled reassuringly at Gwen then, and upon catching her eye Morgana had felt a giggle erupt from inside her, and then Gwen responded and then Merlin and Arthur had followed and they were laughing in the halls of Camelot, maybe at the relief of still being alive, maybe at the fact that they were young, or maybe just because. If any of the servants or lords who passed them in the halls had thought it inappropriate for the ward and the son of the king to be laughing like children with their maid and manservant no one had dared to say a thing.
"Morgana."
The whisper is enough to bring Morgana back from her memories. She looks over to Gwen, the slight grin that had come onto her face over the memory disappearing quickly. She remembers looking into her queen's eyes, remembers again how the four of them used to be so tied up in each other, and they were happy then. It didn't matter who was in whose bed because they all loved each other so much. Then Lancelot had come and stolen Gwen. Stolen her from Merlin's dreams, from Arthur's bed, and from Morgana's arms. And when Gwen came back Guinevere, none of them were the same.
"I'm sorry." Gwen holds her eye for a moment and Morgana wants to ask for which transgression, but when Gwen looks away she can't help but hang her head and say across the body of, no, not their king, but their eternal prince, and say: "So am I."
She turns her head forward and looks ahead as Avalon approaches.
Morgana should be surprised at the hand that twines its fingers between hers, but she can only feel relief as the now, and life with all of its pain floods back into her. Gwen takes their intertwined hands and places it over Arthur's heart. Morgana lets the tears fall down her face silently, knowing the they are mirrored on Gwen’s.
Comments are dearly loved.
Title: Thus Were They Led Away
Genre: Angst/Reflection
Characters & Pairings: Morgana, Gwen, Morgana/Gwen/Arthur/Merlin, Gwen/Lancelot
Summary [please read]: Since Merlin takes so many liberties with the myth in their youth, I decided to do the same for later on. This is a future fic, which takes liberties with who accompanies Arthur’s body in the boat to Avalon. I have made it so Gwen is in the boat with Morgana, I don’t mention any of the other queens but I kind of assumed they would be in there too. Basically Morgana’s reflection on how Morgana, Arthur, Gwen, and Merlin’s lives went. Title is a reference to a line in Book 21 Chapter 6 of Le Morte D’Arthur, which is actually “thus was he [Arthur] led away.”
Disclaimer: I don’t own BBC’s Merlin and their characterizations, and apologies to Malory for changing the story.
Notes: Unbetaed as usual so any comments or notes are even more appreciated. Thanks.
Thus Were They Led Away
"My Queen." Morgana says as she reaches out a hand to help her into the boat.
"My lady." Gwen responds as she takes a seat at Arthur's opposite shoulder.
Morgana starts at the title. Those words having long ago stopped passing Gwen’s lips. They catch each other’s eye and it is too much for Morgana then and she turns her face away as the boat is pushed from the shore, she turns from Gwen, no, Guinevere. Their history too present in this moment, she looks down at the body between them, and feels a sob rise in her throat. They are the only two left now, Gwen and Morgana. She doubts even they are left now, all too tied up in the titles of queen and enchantress.
Morgana remembers how it used to be. Remembers the fumbling Merlin, the ever good and sweet Gwen, the prattish Arthur, and herself, impetuous and stubborn. Morgana remembers the many times they had gone against Uther's orders to save each other. She thinks of the time they all fought to save Merlin's village, a need to protect each other and those who were unjustly punished burning deep in all four of their chests. When they had returned Uther had been furious. Gwen and Merlin had been let off lightly, after all, servants were supposed to follow their masters. Morgana and Arthur had been forced to stay behind and they were seriously worried they might be put in the stocks with how Uther was going on, but at the end he had just looked at them, sat down in his throne, sighed and said: "Oh, go change and get some rest." The two nobles had found their servants nervously waiting in front of the hallways to their chambers, Merlin looking at Arthur, Gwen at Morgana.
They were silent before Merlin finally said: "How bad?"
Gwen worried her lip with her teeth and looked so guilty and nervous Morgana had just wanted to hug her. Morgana had finally looked over to Arthur and they smiled wearily at each other before she had said: "It will be fine." She had smiled reassuringly at Gwen then, and upon catching her eye Morgana had felt a giggle erupt from inside her, and then Gwen responded and then Merlin and Arthur had followed and they were laughing in the halls of Camelot, maybe at the relief of still being alive, maybe at the fact that they were young, or maybe just because. If any of the servants or lords who passed them in the halls had thought it inappropriate for the ward and the son of the king to be laughing like children with their maid and manservant no one had dared to say a thing.
"Morgana."
The whisper is enough to bring Morgana back from her memories. She looks over to Gwen, the slight grin that had come onto her face over the memory disappearing quickly. She remembers looking into her queen's eyes, remembers again how the four of them used to be so tied up in each other, and they were happy then. It didn't matter who was in whose bed because they all loved each other so much. Then Lancelot had come and stolen Gwen. Stolen her from Merlin's dreams, from Arthur's bed, and from Morgana's arms. And when Gwen came back Guinevere, none of them were the same.
"I'm sorry." Gwen holds her eye for a moment and Morgana wants to ask for which transgression, but when Gwen looks away she can't help but hang her head and say across the body of, no, not their king, but their eternal prince, and say: "So am I."
She turns her head forward and looks ahead as Avalon approaches.
Morgana should be surprised at the hand that twines its fingers between hers, but she can only feel relief as the now, and life with all of its pain floods back into her. Gwen takes their intertwined hands and places it over Arthur's heart. Morgana lets the tears fall down her face silently, knowing the they are mirrored on Gwen’s.
Comments are dearly loved.