Like You : Merlin/Gwen (Free Month)
Title: "Like You"
Author: ienablu
Fandom: Merlin (BBC)
Pairing: Merlin/Guinevere
Spoilers: All episodes of the first two seasons, the Arthurian legend
Disclaimer: I make no claims to own Merlin. All caps used are from disparue.org.
Notes: Thanks to the mods for still letting me post this, and sorry for the initial html blunder.
An Intro:
I'm going to try and keep this brief: hello, my name is Ien, and I started watching this show when I saw quite a few secrets about it on fandomsecrets and wondered what all the fuss was about.
Long story short, it's a retelling of the Arthurian legend, with quite a few creative liberties taken: Merlin is the same age as Arthur, magic is banned in Camelot, Gwen is a handmaiden to Lady Morgana, the list goes on and on. This is not a show you want to watch for historical accuracy, or a super serious plot. This is a show you want for a completely different take on the legend and have fun with it.
Since this is a free month, and we're given free reign, I'm going to deviate from the traditional structure a bit -- this manifesto deals mostly with the first few episodes, where the characters develop, so I'm just going to omit the character bios, and hopefully fill in the blanks as I go.
The Story Begins:
Merlin is a teenaged warlock, who comes to Camelot, where magic is forbidden. When running errands for Gaius (his uncle and the court physician), he sees a few knights giving a servant a hard time. One seems to be more of an asshole than the rest, and Merlin calls him out on it. The two argue, the asshole invites Merlin to take a swing, Merlin awkwardly does, the asshole threatens to put him in jail, because it turns out this asshole is Prince Arthur.
But that's another ship manifesto entirely.
Basically Merlin spends the night in jail, and Gaius comes to fetch him, telling him he pulled some strings to get him out early, but...
He's put in the stocks, where anachronistic tomatoes are thrown at his face. But it's not all bad. Because then we meet...
Gwen: I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen. I'm the Lady Morgana's maid.
Merlin: Right. I'm Merlin. [shakes her hand] Though most people just call me 'Idiot.'
Gwen: No. No no, I saw what you did. It was so brave.
Merlin: And stupid.
Gwen: Well, I'm glad you walked away, you weren't going to beat him.
Merlin: Oh, ff. I could beat him.
Gwen: You think? Because you don't look like one of these big muscly kind of fellows.
Merlin: ...thanks.
Gwen: No! I'm sure you're stronger than you look. It's just um, Arthur's one of these rough-tough save-the-world kind of men. Well.
Merlin: What?
Gwen: You don't look like that.
[He beckons her closer, and she leans in]
Merlin: I'm in disguise.
Gwen: [laughs] Well, it's great you stood up to him.
Merlin: You think so?
Gwen: Arthur's a bully. And everyone thought you were a real hero.
Merlin: Really?
Gwen: Mhm.
Merlin: Oh, excuse me, Guinevere, my fans are waiting.
Next time they meet, Merlin is in the room with a changing Morgana. Gwen arrives, she and Merlin exchange a series of looks, and Merlin makes some hand gestures, which somehow explains the situation.
Quite frankly I'm impressed, since I've watched this section quite a few times, and I still don't know what Merlin was trying to get across.
And the story continues, but all that matters is that there's a grand ball.
Gwen: {Morgana} looks great doesn't she.
Merlin: Yeah.
Gwen: Some people are just born to be queen.
Merlin: No.
Gwen: I hope so. One day. [awkward pause] Not that I'd want to be her. Who'd want to marry Arthur.
Merlin: Oh, c'mon Gwen, I thought you liked those real rough-tough save-the-world kind of men.
Gwen: No, I like much more ordinary men like you.
Merlin: Gwen, believe me, I'm not ordinary.
Gwen: No, I didn't mean you. Obviously. Not... you. But just. I like more ordinary men. Like you.
Merlin: Thanks.
[both turn away awkwardly]
And I honestly don't know what to say about this scene, other than I love it a lot.
(And the party continues, until the entertainment arrives, and the entertainment tries to kill Arthur, and Merlin ends up becoming Arthur's manservant.)
1.03 . The Mark of Nimueh
Next episode starts with Merlin and Gaius observing a dead guy in the street, while Gwen helps her father, prepare for work. Their paths cross on the way back to the castle.
Gwen: [approaching] What are you doing?
Merlin: Oh, ah, just, moving something.
Gwen: Looks heavy.
Merlin: Oh, nothing really. Oh, someone got you flowers.
Gwen: Oh, no. Would you like one? A purple one. Purple suits you.
[Merlin takes an extended flower]
Gwen: --not that I'm saying red doesn't suit you.
Merlin: Thanks. Well, uh... [wonders where to put it, then sets it in his neckscarf]
[both smile]
Merlin: See you.
Gwen: Bye.
(Note: Morgana's observation next scene? "You look happy.")
The episode continues, the one-guy-poisoned-by-the-sorcoress-from-before-the-title-sequence becomes many-people-poisoned-by-the-sorcoress-from-before-the-title-sequence. And soon we see Gwen's father is hit by this sickness. Gwen tearfully says her father is all she has, and begs for Gaius to help. Gaius says there's no cure, there's nothing he can do. Gwen leaves, and Merlin says there has to be something they can do. Gaius disagrees.
So Merlin sulks off, and later that night creates a magical cure for Gwen's father.
Because saving just one man is not going to be suspicious or bear any ill repercussions.
But we're going to push that thought aside for a moment, as now it's time for one of my favorite Merlin/Gwen scenes. I'm not going to picspam it, because as much as I love it, you need to see it. It's so sweet and charming and caps will not due it justice, so I really recommend you take the two minute it takes and watch it.Gwen: [is humming cheerfully]
Merlin: How's your father? Is he feeling better?
Gwen: Yeah, it's incredible. It's a miracle.
Merlin: His skin's clear, back to normal?
Gwen: Yes.
Merlin: Great.
Gwen: You don't seem that surprised.
Merlin: Oh, no no. I am. It's a miracle.
Gwen: But how did you know he was well?
Merlin: [awkward silence] ...uh, because you're smiling.
Gwen: That's really weird, because I haven't told anyone, but you know. How could you know?
Merlin: ... Yeah. Alright, you finally found out. I'll tell you. [swallows nervously] I'm psychic.
Gwen: [laughs] No you're not.
Merlin: It's true.
Gwen: Alright, what am I thinking?
Merlin: ... that I'm not psychic.
Gwen: [laughs] You're strange. I don't-- I don't mean that in a nasty way. You're just... funny. I like that.
Merlin: Well I'm pleased for you.
Gwen: Thank you.
Merlin: What for?
Gwen: I don't know. For asking.
Merlin: I didn't like you see you upset. ...I have to get on.
It was actually watching this clip on Youtube a few times that made me start to realize how much I ship these two. Because you know what? Sometimes, you want the bickering, bantering couple. Sometimes you want the epic, true love couple. And sometimes you just want the sweet couple. And I don't mean the cavity-inducing over-the-top sweet, just... sweet. Again, I highly recommend you watch the clip.
But of course, the plot catches back up, Arthur finds out Tom has recovered, investigates, finds the poultice Merlin left behind, assumes Gwen did it, and arrests her for sorcery.
Merlin: Gwen...
Gwen: Thank you.
Merlin: What for?
Gwen: Coming to see me.
Merlin: I'm sorry.
Gwen: It's not your fault.
Merlin: Well.
Gwen: It's alright. Don't worry about me. There's no point in crying about it. I mean-- I mean, I'm not saying you were going to cry about me, obviously I don't think that.
Merlin: Oh Gwen. I can't have this happen.
Gwen: Please, one thing. You-- you don't have to. But...
Merlin: What?
Gwen: Remember me?
Merlin: You're not going to die. I'm not going to let this happen.
And of course, Merlin has to fix this. How?
[official court peeps are wondering what to do]
Merlin: [bursts into the room] It was me. It was me, who used magic to cure Gwen's father. Gwen is not the sorcerer. I am.
Gaius: Merlin. Are you mad?
Merlin: I cannot let her die for me. [to Uther] I place myself at your mercy.
Gaius: He doesn't know what he's talking about--
Merlin: I do.
This episode was written while they still planned on going through with Merlin/Gwen, because this? This is a Very Big Deal.
Bear with me, I'm going to skip forward for a moment. Because at the moment, the show has two complete seasons under its belt. And in both seasons, one of the biggest part of Merlin's story is that he's a sorcerer, but he cannot tell anyone about it, or else he'll be executed. And hell, it's even one of the biggest part of the series. His relationship with Arthur is starting to falter because Arthur is starting to warm up as friends while Merlin is still hiding this huge secret. The current reigning monarch, King Uther, has a vendetta against magic users, and has more or less committed genocide against sorcerers. And the situation with Morgana? The Great Dragon says that Morgana is going to be powerful and evil and Merlin shouldn't help her, and it's a self-serving prophecy because Morgana goes to Merlin, looking for help, looking for anything, and while Merlin had been telling Gaius he should tell Morgana that he's magic, he doesn't, and this leads to a huge rift between the two. And there's even conflict with the few who do know about his magic -- in one episode, Merlin plays with the smoke of a fire, it's seen, a witchfinder is called in, and shit goes down as the witchfinder accuses Merlin of being a sorcerer, so Gaius steps in to save Merlin's ass, and nearly dies in the process, just trying to keep Merlin's magic secret. Hell, the show's tagline is "Keep the magic secret."
Merlin keeping his magic a secret is a Very Big Deal, and Merlin does not take it lightly.
And yet he goes straight to Uther and confesses to being a sorcerer.
This shows us two things:
1. Merlin is kind of an idiot.
2. Merlin cares about Gwen.
Thankfully for Merlin, Arthur doesn't believe it ("This is madness! There's no way Merlin is a sorcerer.") and tells his father that Merlin is in love with Gwen.
Merlin: I am not.
Arthur: Yes you are.
Merlin: No way.
Arthur: I saw you yesterday with that flower she'd given you.
Merlin: But-- aclkahdf --I'm not in love with her!
Arthur: It's all right. You can admit it.
Merlin: I don't even think of her like that!
Uther: Perhaps she cast a spell on you. [chuckles]
Everyone laughs it off (except for a now-annoyed Merlin), the story continues, Merlin promises Gwen he'll get her out, goes to speaks with the Great Dragon, figures out how to defeat it with help from Arthur and Morgana, and yay!
Gwen is freed. She and her father leave, while Morgana keeps Merlin behind.
Morgana: Merlin-- I wanted you to know, your secret's safe with me.
Merlin: My secret?
Morgana: Don't pretend. I know what you did.
Merlin: You did?
Morgana: I saw it with my own eyes.
Merlin: You did?
Morgana: I understand why you don't want anyone to know.
Merlin: Well, obviously.
Morgana: I won't tell anyone. You don't mind me talking to you about it?
Merlin: adalhdf -- no. It's... you have no idea how hard it is to keep this hidden.
Morgana: Well you can continue to deny it, but, I think Gwen's a very lucky woman.
Merlin: --Gwen?
Morgana: Shh. It's our secret.
Merlin/Gwen: Morgana ships it. :Db
1.04 . The Poisoned Chalice
Honestly, I view this as a very Arthur/Merlin episode -- it's the episode that cemented my love for said ship -- but there's one thing that cannot be glossed over.
Merlin and Gwen kiss.
Let's back up a bit:
The episode starts with a peace treaty. Immediately we know that's not going to go well.
Nimueh -- the sorceress that poisoned Camelot last episode who I also happen to ship with Merlin -- poisons Merlin, while making it seem like the visiting monarch did it, so the treaty will dissolve and they will start fighting again.
But Arthur, Gaius and Gwen are more concerned with the fact Merlin is on the ground dying. He's taken to Gaius' chambers, where Gaius identifies the cause, Arthur gallantly rushes to get a flower to save Merlin, and Gwen stays and tends to Merlin.
And... Merlin being unconscious doesn't lend to a lot of conversation between him and Gwen, so I'm going to picspam instead.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Gwen: Oh, sorry. I thought you were dead.
Merlin: It's fine. It's more than fine.
Aaaaaaaaand that's it. This is basically the point when one of the showrunners went "Wait-- we gotta end this show on Arthur/Gwen. If we start Merlin/Gwen, we're gonna have to end it. And even if Gwen and Merlin break up happily, there is still gonna be major awkwardsauce when Arthur/Gwen hook up, as Merlin is BFF with both of them. Shit. This is not the love triangle we were going for. ABANDON SHIP. ...also, BRING IN LANCELOT."
1.05 . Lancelot
So then Lancelot arrives with a gentlemanly countenance, Indigo Montoya-like motivation and fantastic hair.
He saves Merlin's life, Merlin tries to get him a spot as a knight (which is Lancelot's dream, even though he isn't nobility), so he takes him to Gwen to make him a more noble-looking clothes.
And even though the soft lighting, soft music and soft smiles indicate the beginning of the Lancelot/Gwen love story, Gwen keeps saying Lancelot should thank Merlin, Merlin would do anything for anyone.
There's still hope for Merlin/Gwen, right? Right?
Lancelot: She seems lovely. Guinevere.
Merlin: Oh yeah, yeah she is. And the best seamstress in Camelot, I promise.
Lancelot: Are you two... [odd hand gesture] y'know?
Merlin: [laughs] No, no. Just friends.
...guess not.
...or maybe so?
Whichever way, Lancelot passes his test, is made a knight, and there is much rejoicing! And a party!
Merlin: Y'know what? I think Sir Lancelot may have eyes for you, Gwen.
Gwen: Don't be silly.
Merlin: What? So what if he did? Would that really be so bad?
Gwen: He's not really my type.
Merlin: Oh, well there's a surprise. Sometimes, Guinevere, I wonder if you'd know what your type was, if he were standing right next to you.
Gwen: You're probably right.
To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to make of this exchange -- are they trying to sink the ship? Are they trying to imply this ship is still valid? I don't know! Then again, when this scene comes up, I am generally bracing myself for the next exchange.
Merlin: So, c'mon. For the sake of irony argument, if you had to, Arthur or Lancelot?
Gwen: But I don't have to, and I never will.
Oh, show. Could you be any less subtle?
1.09 . Excalibur
Gwen: Merlin. What are you doing here?
Merlin: I've come to ask a favor.
Gwen: Yes?
Merlin: I'm not sure how to ask it.
Gwen: Ask, Merlin, you know I'd grant you anything. [pause] I mean, not anything. Obviously not anything. What is it you want?
You have to wonder what Gwen was thinking he was going to ask for, when she made that amendment.
1.10 . The Moment of Truth
Basically, some Baddies have invaded Merlin's home town, Uther won't send help, so Merlin is packing to return home and help.
Gwen: Here. [hands him a sword] Tell me how it feels.
Merlin: Yeah. Yeah, that feels really good. Very, um, y'know. Swordy.
Gwen: ...I packed some armor for you.
Merlin: I won't be able to carry all of that.
Morgana: [enters] You won't have to. We're coming with you.
Merlin: What do you mean?
Gwen: You're going to need all the help you can get. I can mend armor and sharpen swords.
Morgana: And I know how to fight.
Merlin: But you... you can't... I mean, why would you?
Gwen: If it was the other way around, you'd help us. You already have. You saved my life.
Morgana: And you helped me get the Druid boy out of Camelot. We owe it to you. Both of us.
And yes, this is more of a OT4-BFF moment than a Merlin/Gwen shippy moment, but it's still adorable.
1.12 . To Kill the King
This episode deals with the fact that a sorcerer, Tauren, hires Gwen's dad for work, which leads Gwen's dad, Tom, to be arrested, even though Tom had no idea.
And since it'd be depressing to sleep in your empty house while your dad is in prison, Gwen is sleeping in Merlin's room. There's nothing sexual about this (in my eyes -- YMMV) but it shows a... I don't know. But this, this is why I love them. They don't make a big deal about it, and that's because it's not a big deal. Gwen is upset, so Merlin (and Gaius) lent her his room. It's a small gesture, but to me it's the small things that show you care.
But the sweet feeling doesn't last for long, because Tom tries to escape prison, and is killed on the spot.
While Gwen mourns, Morgana is furious, and this is where the plot comes in -- Tauren wants an alchemist stone left in Tom's forge, and Morgana goes to deal with him, and plan to kill Uther, who she's become disillusioned with. Through the course of the episode, Merlin comes to find out about this, and he watches Morgana and Uther leave to visit Morgana's father's grave -- where Tauren and his men have planned to ambush and kill Uther, unknown to anyone but Morgana and Merlin. So then we get...
Gwen: Merlin.
Merlin: Gwen. How are you doing?
Gwen: I was about to ask you the same question.
Merlin: I'm fine. Fine.
Gwen: Morgana has been amazing these past few days.
Merlin: I think you've been amazing. After... all that's happened. Getting your life back together.
Gwen: Better than sitting in an empty house waiting for my father to walk through the door. The thing I find hardest to bear is that people will always think that he was guilty because he tried to escape.
Merlin: No, he was innocent.
Gwen: I think he tried to escape because he knew that whatever he said or did, he'd be killed. Uther had already made up his mind. That's the kind of man he is.
Merlin: I wouldn't blame you if you wanted him dead.
Gwen: If Uther died I'd feel nothing. He means nothing to me.
Merlin: If you had... y'know, the choice. What would you do? If you had the power of life and death over Uther, would you kill him? For what he did?
Gwen: No.
Merlin: No?
Gwen: What would that solve? That would make me a murderer. That'd make me as bad as him.
Merlin: You're right. Of course you
Gwen: Is anything wrong?
Merlin: [hurrying off] Oh no, see you later!
Usually, moral-compass-ness is a turn-of in pairings for me, but thankfully, I see this less as a "you're struggling between the easy thing and the right thing and I'm telling you you need to do the right thing" since Gwen didn't know she had the choice. Either way, the two have had limited interaction over the past few episodes, but they still work off each other beautifully.
(For the sake of completion: Merlin then goes off to stop Tauren and his men, but Morgana has realized Uther isn't always a heartless bastard, and saves him from Tauren.)
2.02 . The Once and Future Queen
This episode is basically the emergence of Arthur/Gwen as a Legit Ship, so I'm more or less going to skip over it, but before I do:
I would totally watch a Merlin and Gwen version of "What Not to Wear." Just sayin'.
2.03 . The Nightmare Begins
The flowers are for Morgana, whose powers are starting to act up which makes her accidentally light drapery on fire who isn't feeling well, but they still look happy to see each other. Aww.
2.04 . Lancelot and Guinevere
This may seem like a bad episode to put on this manifesto, but there's something I need to address.
The episode in a nutshell:
Bad Guy captures Morgana and Gwen for a ransom from Uther, they fight back, Morgana escapes, Bad Guy tries to pass Gwen off to Badder Guy as Morgana, Arthur and Merlin go off to save her against Uther's wishes, and Lancelot returns sans his fantastic hair.
At the end it comes to this:
Lancelot and Gwen were lovey-dovey during the escape. Arthur sulked, and said he only came because Morgana begged him to. Gwen was upset. Lancelot realized Arthur was in love with Gwen, and since Lancelot is loyal to a fault and does not want to come between them, he left. Gwen was very upset.
I ship Merlin/Gwen on a fluffier level most of the time, but when you look at the ship more 'seriously,' when you start to think about how they work on a deeper level, it comes from this:
Merlin is there.
This may sound like something small, but when you take into consideration Gwen's background, it's really not.
Let's look at the most important people to Gwen: First is her father. Although he survived through 1.04, he was murdered by Uther in episode 1.12. Next is Arthur. While the show is toting them around as True Love, and Arthur told Merlin earlier in the episode about how much he loved Gwen, Arthur's faults Gwen brought up in 2.02 are still there, and he still hurts her to save his own dignity. And there's Lancelot, who had a whole speech about how he loves Gwen. Only this was his second appearance, and he quickly disappeared again. Also, there's Morgana. Right now she may be the most stable relationship Gwen has, but later on in the season, when the conflict with Morgana's magic rises, she becomes very short and cold towards Gwen, and is taken by Morgause in 2.12.
So her father is dead, her best friend will soon vanish, one of the men she loves is gone, and the other is still a prat.
But...
Merlin is still there for her.
2.07 . The Witchfinder
...and Gwen is there for him.
This is the episode mentioned above, where Merlin plays with the shape of fire's smoke, a woman sees it, and a witchfinder is called in. He accuses Merlin, using an amulet in a jar as evidence against him, but Gaius claims that it's his, to save Merlin.
And here again we get the 'take it fluffy or amp up the angst' option; on one hand, this episode has been dubbed Merlin and Gwen's Detective Agency, and you can take the two of them trying to right wrongs in a light-hearted way.
Or you can look at it for a way to Merlin and Gwen to really bond. It sound terrible, bonding over your father(-figure in Merlin's case)'s imprisonment over being a sorcerer and death sentence, but it's something. This is really the only time the season where the two really interact with each other, and I really think Merlin needed this; needed her. Because at this point in the season, Gwen is the only person Merlin doesn't have a complicated relationship with-- Arthur is his superior but equal and they're still struggling to achieve their destiny, and things are shaky with Morgana due to Merlin not telling her she's not alone. But Gwen is there for him, and, although it doesn't mean as Merlin being there for Gwen, I think it almost saved Merlin this episode.
Because, once Merlin finds out the amulet wasn't Gaius', it was planted by Aredian, he's off trying to see what other evidence Aredian has been faking; and Gwen is right by his side, helping him, because he would do the same for her, because she wasn't able to save her own father, because she cares.
In the end, Merlin calls Aredian out, they search Aredian's chambers, find evidence (that Merlin planted), and Aredian falls out a window, and everything turns out okay.
Also, it's a bit difficult to see in screencaps, but if you look at the shots of Gaius' chamber post-search, and then post-post-search, you will notice:
That the chambers have been cleaned up. No one will ever convince me that Gwen wasn't the one to help Merlin clean up.
Why I Ship Them:
To be honest, I don't know how to go about describing why I ship them.
I ship them because they work well together. Because when they barely know each other they can more or less non-verbally communicate. Because Gwen helps him learn how to put on armor. Because she believes him when no one else does. Because he risks his life to keep her father alive, then again to save her from being wrongly accused. Because they can be awkward but still endearing. Because Merlin tries his hardest to keep Tom alive, and Gwen tries her hardest to keep Gaius alive. Because he doesn't like to see her upset, and she'll grant him anything.
I ship them because they're not true loves. In a show about legends (the legend of King Arthur, his legendary adviser Merlin, the legend of Excalibur, the legendary love triangle of Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot) I find it refreshing to see an ordinary relationship. No epic struggles, no class differences, no destined greatness, no need for legends. Just two people who care about each other, are affectionate with each other, are happy with each other.
I ship them because if they get together and it didn't work out, they would still be friends. It's arguable that, to some degree, that's what happened in the show -- they had a romantic subplot for a few episodes and then they didn't. There wasn't a huge fuss made about it. There were some awkwardness in it (after Merlin saying maybe Gwen didn't know her type), but in the end, they're still friends. They care for each other, and, even if it's not romantic or sexual, they do love each other.
Fanworks:
If you throw an anachronistic tomato in the fandom, it will either land on Arthur/Merlin, Arthur/Gwen, Morgana/Gwen, Merlin/Morgana or Arthur/Merlin/Gwen/Morgana pretty much every time.
And honestly, as much as I adore them, they're not my OTP of the show, so I don't generally seek out fanworks for them. But I don't want to leave this part of the manifesto bare, so here are a few starting points:
merlingwen: No pairing is official until they have their own LJ community. I've only skimmed the community, but I've loved everything I read.
camelot_fleet's Gwen/Merlin tag: The Fleet is a multi-ship supporting community, and one of those communities where everything is high-quality. Also, if you poke around the party posts, Merlin/Gwen drabbles and art pop up every now and then.
drawmelot's Gwen/Merlin tag: If you ever have any doubt that Merlin/Gwen is an adorable and fluffy pairing, check here. The art is gorgeous and amazing and it makes me aww a lot.
Author: ienablu
Fandom: Merlin (BBC)
Pairing: Merlin/Guinevere
Spoilers: All episodes of the first two seasons, the Arthurian legend
Disclaimer: I make no claims to own Merlin. All caps used are from disparue.org.
Notes: Thanks to the mods for still letting me post this, and sorry for the initial html blunder.
An Intro:
I'm going to try and keep this brief: hello, my name is Ien, and I started watching this show when I saw quite a few secrets about it on fandomsecrets and wondered what all the fuss was about.
Long story short, it's a retelling of the Arthurian legend, with quite a few creative liberties taken: Merlin is the same age as Arthur, magic is banned in Camelot, Gwen is a handmaiden to Lady Morgana, the list goes on and on. This is not a show you want to watch for historical accuracy, or a super serious plot. This is a show you want for a completely different take on the legend and have fun with it.
Since this is a free month, and we're given free reign, I'm going to deviate from the traditional structure a bit -- this manifesto deals mostly with the first few episodes, where the characters develop, so I'm just going to omit the character bios, and hopefully fill in the blanks as I go.
The Story Begins:
Merlin is a teenaged warlock, who comes to Camelot, where magic is forbidden. When running errands for Gaius (his uncle and the court physician), he sees a few knights giving a servant a hard time. One seems to be more of an asshole than the rest, and Merlin calls him out on it. The two argue, the asshole invites Merlin to take a swing, Merlin awkwardly does, the asshole threatens to put him in jail, because it turns out this asshole is Prince Arthur.
But that's another ship manifesto entirely.
Basically Merlin spends the night in jail, and Gaius comes to fetch him, telling him he pulled some strings to get him out early, but...
He's put in the stocks, where anachronistic tomatoes are thrown at his face. But it's not all bad. Because then we meet...
Gwen: I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen. I'm the Lady Morgana's maid.
Merlin: Right. I'm Merlin. [shakes her hand] Though most people just call me 'Idiot.'
Gwen: No. No no, I saw what you did. It was so brave.
Merlin: And stupid.
Gwen: Well, I'm glad you walked away, you weren't going to beat him.
Merlin: Oh, ff. I could beat him.
Gwen: You think? Because you don't look like one of these big muscly kind of fellows.
Merlin: ...thanks.
Gwen: No! I'm sure you're stronger than you look. It's just um, Arthur's one of these rough-tough save-the-world kind of men. Well.
Merlin: What?
Gwen: You don't look like that.
[He beckons her closer, and she leans in]
Merlin: I'm in disguise.
Gwen: [laughs] Well, it's great you stood up to him.
Merlin: You think so?
Gwen: Arthur's a bully. And everyone thought you were a real hero.
Merlin: Really?
Gwen: Mhm.
Merlin: Oh, excuse me, Guinevere, my fans are waiting.
Next time they meet, Merlin is in the room with a changing Morgana. Gwen arrives, she and Merlin exchange a series of looks, and Merlin makes some hand gestures, which somehow explains the situation.
Quite frankly I'm impressed, since I've watched this section quite a few times, and I still don't know what Merlin was trying to get across.
And the story continues, but all that matters is that there's a grand ball.
Gwen: {Morgana} looks great doesn't she.
Merlin: Yeah.
Gwen: Some people are just born to be queen.
Merlin: No.
Gwen: I hope so. One day. [awkward pause] Not that I'd want to be her. Who'd want to marry Arthur.
Merlin: Oh, c'mon Gwen, I thought you liked those real rough-tough save-the-world kind of men.
Gwen: No, I like much more ordinary men like you.
Merlin: Gwen, believe me, I'm not ordinary.
Gwen: No, I didn't mean you. Obviously. Not... you. But just. I like more ordinary men. Like you.
Merlin: Thanks.
[both turn away awkwardly]
And I honestly don't know what to say about this scene, other than I love it a lot.
(And the party continues, until the entertainment arrives, and the entertainment tries to kill Arthur, and Merlin ends up becoming Arthur's manservant.)
1.03 . The Mark of Nimueh
Next episode starts with Merlin and Gaius observing a dead guy in the street, while Gwen helps her father, prepare for work. Their paths cross on the way back to the castle.
Gwen: [approaching] What are you doing?
Merlin: Oh, ah, just, moving something.
Gwen: Looks heavy.
Merlin: Oh, nothing really. Oh, someone got you flowers.
Gwen: Oh, no. Would you like one? A purple one. Purple suits you.
[Merlin takes an extended flower]
Gwen: --not that I'm saying red doesn't suit you.
Merlin: Thanks. Well, uh... [wonders where to put it, then sets it in his neckscarf]
[both smile]
Merlin: See you.
Gwen: Bye.
(Note: Morgana's observation next scene? "You look happy.")
The episode continues, the one-guy-poisoned-by-the-sorcoress-from-before-the-title-sequence becomes many-people-poisoned-by-the-sorcoress-from-before-the-title-sequence. And soon we see Gwen's father is hit by this sickness. Gwen tearfully says her father is all she has, and begs for Gaius to help. Gaius says there's no cure, there's nothing he can do. Gwen leaves, and Merlin says there has to be something they can do. Gaius disagrees.
So Merlin sulks off, and later that night creates a magical cure for Gwen's father.
Because saving just one man is not going to be suspicious or bear any ill repercussions.
But we're going to push that thought aside for a moment, as now it's time for one of my favorite Merlin/Gwen scenes. I'm not going to picspam it, because as much as I love it, you need to see it. It's so sweet and charming and caps will not due it justice, so I really recommend you take the two minute it takes and watch it.Gwen: [is humming cheerfully]
Merlin: How's your father? Is he feeling better?
Gwen: Yeah, it's incredible. It's a miracle.
Merlin: His skin's clear, back to normal?
Gwen: Yes.
Merlin: Great.
Gwen: You don't seem that surprised.
Merlin: Oh, no no. I am. It's a miracle.
Gwen: But how did you know he was well?
Merlin: [awkward silence] ...uh, because you're smiling.
Gwen: That's really weird, because I haven't told anyone, but you know. How could you know?
Merlin: ... Yeah. Alright, you finally found out. I'll tell you. [swallows nervously] I'm psychic.
Gwen: [laughs] No you're not.
Merlin: It's true.
Gwen: Alright, what am I thinking?
Merlin: ... that I'm not psychic.
Gwen: [laughs] You're strange. I don't-- I don't mean that in a nasty way. You're just... funny. I like that.
Merlin: Well I'm pleased for you.
Gwen: Thank you.
Merlin: What for?
Gwen: I don't know. For asking.
Merlin: I didn't like you see you upset. ...I have to get on.
It was actually watching this clip on Youtube a few times that made me start to realize how much I ship these two. Because you know what? Sometimes, you want the bickering, bantering couple. Sometimes you want the epic, true love couple. And sometimes you just want the sweet couple. And I don't mean the cavity-inducing over-the-top sweet, just... sweet. Again, I highly recommend you watch the clip.
But of course, the plot catches back up, Arthur finds out Tom has recovered, investigates, finds the poultice Merlin left behind, assumes Gwen did it, and arrests her for sorcery.
Merlin: Gwen...
Gwen: Thank you.
Merlin: What for?
Gwen: Coming to see me.
Merlin: I'm sorry.
Gwen: It's not your fault.
Merlin: Well.
Gwen: It's alright. Don't worry about me. There's no point in crying about it. I mean-- I mean, I'm not saying you were going to cry about me, obviously I don't think that.
Merlin: Oh Gwen. I can't have this happen.
Gwen: Please, one thing. You-- you don't have to. But...
Merlin: What?
Gwen: Remember me?
Merlin: You're not going to die. I'm not going to let this happen.
And of course, Merlin has to fix this. How?
[official court peeps are wondering what to do]
Merlin: [bursts into the room] It was me. It was me, who used magic to cure Gwen's father. Gwen is not the sorcerer. I am.
Gaius: Merlin. Are you mad?
Merlin: I cannot let her die for me. [to Uther] I place myself at your mercy.
Gaius: He doesn't know what he's talking about--
Merlin: I do.
This episode was written while they still planned on going through with Merlin/Gwen, because this? This is a Very Big Deal.
Bear with me, I'm going to skip forward for a moment. Because at the moment, the show has two complete seasons under its belt. And in both seasons, one of the biggest part of Merlin's story is that he's a sorcerer, but he cannot tell anyone about it, or else he'll be executed. And hell, it's even one of the biggest part of the series. His relationship with Arthur is starting to falter because Arthur is starting to warm up as friends while Merlin is still hiding this huge secret. The current reigning monarch, King Uther, has a vendetta against magic users, and has more or less committed genocide against sorcerers. And the situation with Morgana? The Great Dragon says that Morgana is going to be powerful and evil and Merlin shouldn't help her, and it's a self-serving prophecy because Morgana goes to Merlin, looking for help, looking for anything, and while Merlin had been telling Gaius he should tell Morgana that he's magic, he doesn't, and this leads to a huge rift between the two. And there's even conflict with the few who do know about his magic -- in one episode, Merlin plays with the smoke of a fire, it's seen, a witchfinder is called in, and shit goes down as the witchfinder accuses Merlin of being a sorcerer, so Gaius steps in to save Merlin's ass, and nearly dies in the process, just trying to keep Merlin's magic secret. Hell, the show's tagline is "Keep the magic secret."
Merlin keeping his magic a secret is a Very Big Deal, and Merlin does not take it lightly.
And yet he goes straight to Uther and confesses to being a sorcerer.
This shows us two things:
1. Merlin is kind of an idiot.
2. Merlin cares about Gwen.
Thankfully for Merlin, Arthur doesn't believe it ("This is madness! There's no way Merlin is a sorcerer.") and tells his father that Merlin is in love with Gwen.
Merlin: I am not.
Arthur: Yes you are.
Merlin: No way.
Arthur: I saw you yesterday with that flower she'd given you.
Merlin: But-- aclkahdf --I'm not in love with her!
Arthur: It's all right. You can admit it.
Merlin: I don't even think of her like that!
Uther: Perhaps she cast a spell on you. [chuckles]
Everyone laughs it off (except for a now-annoyed Merlin), the story continues, Merlin promises Gwen he'll get her out, goes to speaks with the Great Dragon, figures out how to defeat it with help from Arthur and Morgana, and yay!
Gwen is freed. She and her father leave, while Morgana keeps Merlin behind.
Morgana: Merlin-- I wanted you to know, your secret's safe with me.
Merlin: My secret?
Morgana: Don't pretend. I know what you did.
Merlin: You did?
Morgana: I saw it with my own eyes.
Merlin: You did?
Morgana: I understand why you don't want anyone to know.
Merlin: Well, obviously.
Morgana: I won't tell anyone. You don't mind me talking to you about it?
Merlin: adalhdf -- no. It's... you have no idea how hard it is to keep this hidden.
Morgana: Well you can continue to deny it, but, I think Gwen's a very lucky woman.
Merlin: --Gwen?
Morgana: Shh. It's our secret.
Merlin/Gwen: Morgana ships it. :Db
1.04 . The Poisoned Chalice
Honestly, I view this as a very Arthur/Merlin episode -- it's the episode that cemented my love for said ship -- but there's one thing that cannot be glossed over.
Merlin and Gwen kiss.
Let's back up a bit:
The episode starts with a peace treaty. Immediately we know that's not going to go well.
Nimueh -- the sorceress that poisoned Camelot last episode who I also happen to ship with Merlin -- poisons Merlin, while making it seem like the visiting monarch did it, so the treaty will dissolve and they will start fighting again.
But Arthur, Gaius and Gwen are more concerned with the fact Merlin is on the ground dying. He's taken to Gaius' chambers, where Gaius identifies the cause, Arthur gallantly rushes to get a flower to save Merlin, and Gwen stays and tends to Merlin.
And... Merlin being unconscious doesn't lend to a lot of conversation between him and Gwen, so I'm going to picspam instead.
.
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.
.
Gwen: Oh, sorry. I thought you were dead.
Merlin: It's fine. It's more than fine.
Aaaaaaaaand that's it. This is basically the point when one of the showrunners went "Wait-- we gotta end this show on Arthur/Gwen. If we start Merlin/Gwen, we're gonna have to end it. And even if Gwen and Merlin break up happily, there is still gonna be major awkwardsauce when Arthur/Gwen hook up, as Merlin is BFF with both of them. Shit. This is not the love triangle we were going for. ABANDON SHIP. ...also, BRING IN LANCELOT."
1.05 . Lancelot
So then Lancelot arrives with a gentlemanly countenance, Indigo Montoya-like motivation and fantastic hair.
He saves Merlin's life, Merlin tries to get him a spot as a knight (which is Lancelot's dream, even though he isn't nobility), so he takes him to Gwen to make him a more noble-looking clothes.
And even though the soft lighting, soft music and soft smiles indicate the beginning of the Lancelot/Gwen love story, Gwen keeps saying Lancelot should thank Merlin, Merlin would do anything for anyone.
There's still hope for Merlin/Gwen, right? Right?
Lancelot: She seems lovely. Guinevere.
Merlin: Oh yeah, yeah she is. And the best seamstress in Camelot, I promise.
Lancelot: Are you two... [odd hand gesture] y'know?
Merlin: [laughs] No, no. Just friends.
...guess not.
...or maybe so?
Whichever way, Lancelot passes his test, is made a knight, and there is much rejoicing! And a party!
Merlin: Y'know what? I think Sir Lancelot may have eyes for you, Gwen.
Gwen: Don't be silly.
Merlin: What? So what if he did? Would that really be so bad?
Gwen: He's not really my type.
Merlin: Oh, well there's a surprise. Sometimes, Guinevere, I wonder if you'd know what your type was, if he were standing right next to you.
Gwen: You're probably right.
To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to make of this exchange -- are they trying to sink the ship? Are they trying to imply this ship is still valid? I don't know! Then again, when this scene comes up, I am generally bracing myself for the next exchange.
Merlin: So, c'mon. For the sake of irony argument, if you had to, Arthur or Lancelot?
Gwen: But I don't have to, and I never will.
Oh, show. Could you be any less subtle?
1.09 . Excalibur
Gwen: Merlin. What are you doing here?
Merlin: I've come to ask a favor.
Gwen: Yes?
Merlin: I'm not sure how to ask it.
Gwen: Ask, Merlin, you know I'd grant you anything. [pause] I mean, not anything. Obviously not anything. What is it you want?
You have to wonder what Gwen was thinking he was going to ask for, when she made that amendment.
1.10 . The Moment of Truth
Basically, some Baddies have invaded Merlin's home town, Uther won't send help, so Merlin is packing to return home and help.
Gwen: Here. [hands him a sword] Tell me how it feels.
Merlin: Yeah. Yeah, that feels really good. Very, um, y'know. Swordy.
Gwen: ...I packed some armor for you.
Merlin: I won't be able to carry all of that.
Morgana: [enters] You won't have to. We're coming with you.
Merlin: What do you mean?
Gwen: You're going to need all the help you can get. I can mend armor and sharpen swords.
Morgana: And I know how to fight.
Merlin: But you... you can't... I mean, why would you?
Gwen: If it was the other way around, you'd help us. You already have. You saved my life.
Morgana: And you helped me get the Druid boy out of Camelot. We owe it to you. Both of us.
And yes, this is more of a OT4-BFF moment than a Merlin/Gwen shippy moment, but it's still adorable.
1.12 . To Kill the King
This episode deals with the fact that a sorcerer, Tauren, hires Gwen's dad for work, which leads Gwen's dad, Tom, to be arrested, even though Tom had no idea.
And since it'd be depressing to sleep in your empty house while your dad is in prison, Gwen is sleeping in Merlin's room. There's nothing sexual about this (in my eyes -- YMMV) but it shows a... I don't know. But this, this is why I love them. They don't make a big deal about it, and that's because it's not a big deal. Gwen is upset, so Merlin (and Gaius) lent her his room. It's a small gesture, but to me it's the small things that show you care.
But the sweet feeling doesn't last for long, because Tom tries to escape prison, and is killed on the spot.
While Gwen mourns, Morgana is furious, and this is where the plot comes in -- Tauren wants an alchemist stone left in Tom's forge, and Morgana goes to deal with him, and plan to kill Uther, who she's become disillusioned with. Through the course of the episode, Merlin comes to find out about this, and he watches Morgana and Uther leave to visit Morgana's father's grave -- where Tauren and his men have planned to ambush and kill Uther, unknown to anyone but Morgana and Merlin. So then we get...
Gwen: Merlin.
Merlin: Gwen. How are you doing?
Gwen: I was about to ask you the same question.
Merlin: I'm fine. Fine.
Gwen: Morgana has been amazing these past few days.
Merlin: I think you've been amazing. After... all that's happened. Getting your life back together.
Gwen: Better than sitting in an empty house waiting for my father to walk through the door. The thing I find hardest to bear is that people will always think that he was guilty because he tried to escape.
Merlin: No, he was innocent.
Gwen: I think he tried to escape because he knew that whatever he said or did, he'd be killed. Uther had already made up his mind. That's the kind of man he is.
Merlin: I wouldn't blame you if you wanted him dead.
Gwen: If Uther died I'd feel nothing. He means nothing to me.
Merlin: If you had... y'know, the choice. What would you do? If you had the power of life and death over Uther, would you kill him? For what he did?
Gwen: No.
Merlin: No?
Gwen: What would that solve? That would make me a murderer. That'd make me as bad as him.
Merlin: You're right. Of course you
Gwen: Is anything wrong?
Merlin: [hurrying off] Oh no, see you later!
Usually, moral-compass-ness is a turn-of in pairings for me, but thankfully, I see this less as a "you're struggling between the easy thing and the right thing and I'm telling you you need to do the right thing" since Gwen didn't know she had the choice. Either way, the two have had limited interaction over the past few episodes, but they still work off each other beautifully.
(For the sake of completion: Merlin then goes off to stop Tauren and his men, but Morgana has realized Uther isn't always a heartless bastard, and saves him from Tauren.)
2.02 . The Once and Future Queen
This episode is basically the emergence of Arthur/Gwen as a Legit Ship, so I'm more or less going to skip over it, but before I do:
I would totally watch a Merlin and Gwen version of "What Not to Wear." Just sayin'.
2.03 . The Nightmare Begins
The flowers are for Morgana, whose powers are starting to act up which makes her accidentally light drapery on fire who isn't feeling well, but they still look happy to see each other. Aww.
2.04 . Lancelot and Guinevere
This may seem like a bad episode to put on this manifesto, but there's something I need to address.
The episode in a nutshell:
Bad Guy captures Morgana and Gwen for a ransom from Uther, they fight back, Morgana escapes, Bad Guy tries to pass Gwen off to Badder Guy as Morgana, Arthur and Merlin go off to save her against Uther's wishes, and Lancelot returns sans his fantastic hair.
At the end it comes to this:
Lancelot and Gwen were lovey-dovey during the escape. Arthur sulked, and said he only came because Morgana begged him to. Gwen was upset. Lancelot realized Arthur was in love with Gwen, and since Lancelot is loyal to a fault and does not want to come between them, he left. Gwen was very upset.
I ship Merlin/Gwen on a fluffier level most of the time, but when you look at the ship more 'seriously,' when you start to think about how they work on a deeper level, it comes from this:
Merlin is there.
This may sound like something small, but when you take into consideration Gwen's background, it's really not.
Let's look at the most important people to Gwen: First is her father. Although he survived through 1.04, he was murdered by Uther in episode 1.12. Next is Arthur. While the show is toting them around as True Love, and Arthur told Merlin earlier in the episode about how much he loved Gwen, Arthur's faults Gwen brought up in 2.02 are still there, and he still hurts her to save his own dignity. And there's Lancelot, who had a whole speech about how he loves Gwen. Only this was his second appearance, and he quickly disappeared again. Also, there's Morgana. Right now she may be the most stable relationship Gwen has, but later on in the season, when the conflict with Morgana's magic rises, she becomes very short and cold towards Gwen, and is taken by Morgause in 2.12.
So her father is dead, her best friend will soon vanish, one of the men she loves is gone, and the other is still a prat.
But...
Merlin is still there for her.
2.07 . The Witchfinder
...and Gwen is there for him.
This is the episode mentioned above, where Merlin plays with the shape of fire's smoke, a woman sees it, and a witchfinder is called in. He accuses Merlin, using an amulet in a jar as evidence against him, but Gaius claims that it's his, to save Merlin.
And here again we get the 'take it fluffy or amp up the angst' option; on one hand, this episode has been dubbed Merlin and Gwen's Detective Agency, and you can take the two of them trying to right wrongs in a light-hearted way.
Or you can look at it for a way to Merlin and Gwen to really bond. It sound terrible, bonding over your father(-figure in Merlin's case)'s imprisonment over being a sorcerer and death sentence, but it's something. This is really the only time the season where the two really interact with each other, and I really think Merlin needed this; needed her. Because at this point in the season, Gwen is the only person Merlin doesn't have a complicated relationship with-- Arthur is his superior but equal and they're still struggling to achieve their destiny, and things are shaky with Morgana due to Merlin not telling her she's not alone. But Gwen is there for him, and, although it doesn't mean as Merlin being there for Gwen, I think it almost saved Merlin this episode.
Because, once Merlin finds out the amulet wasn't Gaius', it was planted by Aredian, he's off trying to see what other evidence Aredian has been faking; and Gwen is right by his side, helping him, because he would do the same for her, because she wasn't able to save her own father, because she cares.
In the end, Merlin calls Aredian out, they search Aredian's chambers, find evidence (that Merlin planted), and Aredian falls out a window, and everything turns out okay.
Also, it's a bit difficult to see in screencaps, but if you look at the shots of Gaius' chamber post-search, and then post-post-search, you will notice:
That the chambers have been cleaned up. No one will ever convince me that Gwen wasn't the one to help Merlin clean up.
Why I Ship Them:
To be honest, I don't know how to go about describing why I ship them.
I ship them because they work well together. Because when they barely know each other they can more or less non-verbally communicate. Because Gwen helps him learn how to put on armor. Because she believes him when no one else does. Because he risks his life to keep her father alive, then again to save her from being wrongly accused. Because they can be awkward but still endearing. Because Merlin tries his hardest to keep Tom alive, and Gwen tries her hardest to keep Gaius alive. Because he doesn't like to see her upset, and she'll grant him anything.
I ship them because they're not true loves. In a show about legends (the legend of King Arthur, his legendary adviser Merlin, the legend of Excalibur, the legendary love triangle of Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot) I find it refreshing to see an ordinary relationship. No epic struggles, no class differences, no destined greatness, no need for legends. Just two people who care about each other, are affectionate with each other, are happy with each other.
I ship them because if they get together and it didn't work out, they would still be friends. It's arguable that, to some degree, that's what happened in the show -- they had a romantic subplot for a few episodes and then they didn't. There wasn't a huge fuss made about it. There were some awkwardness in it (after Merlin saying maybe Gwen didn't know her type), but in the end, they're still friends. They care for each other, and, even if it's not romantic or sexual, they do love each other.
Fanworks:
If you throw an anachronistic tomato in the fandom, it will either land on Arthur/Merlin, Arthur/Gwen, Morgana/Gwen, Merlin/Morgana or Arthur/Merlin/Gwen/Morgana pretty much every time.
And honestly, as much as I adore them, they're not my OTP of the show, so I don't generally seek out fanworks for them. But I don't want to leave this part of the manifesto bare, so here are a few starting points:
merlingwen: No pairing is official until they have their own LJ community. I've only skimmed the community, but I've loved everything I read.
camelot_fleet's Gwen/Merlin tag: The Fleet is a multi-ship supporting community, and one of those communities where everything is high-quality. Also, if you poke around the party posts, Merlin/Gwen drabbles and art pop up every now and then.
drawmelot's Gwen/Merlin tag: If you ever have any doubt that Merlin/Gwen is an adorable and fluffy pairing, check here. The art is gorgeous and amazing and it makes me aww a lot.