Merlin/Arthur Canon Era and Canon AU Rec List
Merlin/Arthur Canon Eras and Canon AU
(go to: Modern AU A-H ; I-O ; P-Z)
All the recs are previously posted alone on my journal. You can find them (and all the new recs that aren't on this list yet) via my Merlin rec tag. I'm on my way to use a wonderful tagging system for all my recs, hopefully allowing you to find your way to the recs that interest you the most easily. You can easily reach my LJ-induced tag list. And you can ask me for a new tag here.
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8x12x8 by skellerbvvt ; PG-13; 6 Parts; 55k words ; Warning : dark
A/S : Uther blamed Arthur for Igraine's death but couldn't bring himself to kill him. Instead he keeps him locked up because Arthur looks just like Igraine and he can't bare to look at him. Uther remarries and has other kids so the heir issue isn't a problem. Merlin comes to Camelot and he accidentally comes across the place where Arthur is locked away. They talk through the door and eventually end up falling for each other. Probably sounds cheesy but I'm actually picturing it quite dark and angsty.
This is indeed dark and angsty, and the Arthur in this fic is absolutely heartbreaking. And there's a lot of psychosis and stuff and Arthur is this child that didn't grow up properly and... I don't know how to describe this fic. I cried a lot over it, and don't read it if you want a happy fluffy time, but DO read it if you want to read a masterpiece AU.
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August, by rageprufrock ; NC-17 ; One-Shot ;
A/S : (Merlin, shut up, don't judge me) Merlin looked uncertainly to Arthur. “Have you ever made bread?” he asked. / “How hard could it be?” Arthur said.
This is an incredible, incredible fic. It takes place in Ealdor, thus with Hunith (and that pleases me to no end), and to see Arthur and Merlin far away from Camelot and responsibilities is very freeing. Because despite that they remain very IC. There's a lot of things I love in this fic, but I wouldn't want to spoil you. Just go and enjoy it.
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Belong To The Living, by lady_ragnell ; PG ; Two Parts ; 16k words
A/S: A sorceress's spell brings Ygraine back from the dead with no memory of what's happened in the years between. | When the queen is brought back, all of Merlin's secrets start coming out.
As you may know if you read some of my recs, I absolutely love lady_ragnell's works. And this one is no exception. It's about what Ygraine would think of what happened during the twenty first years of Arthur's life, while she was away, how she can change things after she came back, and how it'd affect everyone and everything. It's a wonderful story.
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Fix the Twist in You by lady_ragnell ; PG (?) ; One-Shot; 2200 words
A/S : The longer Merlin's lies go on, the harder Arthur finds it to trust him.
This is a really interesting fic because unlike all the Arthur-has-known-for-a-while-and-doesn't-care fics, there's an actual reflection about the fact that, maybe Arthur doesn't care about the magic, but he cares about the lie itself. This is not a "happy-fluffy" fic but neither is it stupid angst. It's more real than this.
Forsaking All Others, by magog_83 ; PG ; One-Shot ; 5894 words
A/S : Merlin goes home to Ealdor for two weeks and Arthur is not at all bothered by this. No really, he isn’t. Assumes kind of established relationship (as in, Arthur’s about to find out just how established it is).
This fic is Arthur-centric and wonderfully so. It tells us how besotted he is and how oblivious he insists to be about that, and how all the castle is aware of this. And there's an onion. All in all this is an incredibly endearing fic, with a very convincing Arthur and you end up with a big grin on your face. It can mend your heart even if it does't need mending...
Four Things One Should Know About Merlin (and One Thing Nobody Knows About Arthur), by adelagia ; PG ; One-Shot ; 3100 words
No summary but everything is in the title, right ? This story makes my heart swell, and be filled with joy as much as aching a little. Arthur in this fic is incredibly touching, and one really wants to hug him, yet doesn't because he's still very princely and Arthur. And Merlin is so Merlin!! A very good fic!
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Instruction To Make It Perfect by kick_flaw ; NC-17 ; One-Shot ; 4800 words
A/S : Written for this KMM prompt: Arthur thinks that he is a sex GOD. Merlin is dubious and not impressed. Chaos ensues.
This is an incredible piece of porn and there's even a real research in the interaction between Arthur and Merlin, and there is the part that explains so well why Merlin is making sex so much more interesting for Arthur than anyone else. I love it !In Time Of Trial, by shinetheway ; NC-17 ; One Part ; 37k words
A/S: Uther fears his son's power, and Merlin has helped Arthur flee to escape imprisonment. Now the two of them must fight to regain Arthur's rightful place in Camelot.
Hum... the summary doesn't show how wonderful this fic really is. It's about Uther, full of doubt, being manipulated by a far away family guy who has his eyes on the throne. It's about Merlin and Arthur deciding to trust each other more than they ever did. It's about their friends, and the knights of Camelot (before S3) joining their true King. It's about love and power and magic. It's amazing.
In Want of a Wife, by syllic ; NC-17 ; 4 Seasons ; 43k words
A/S : When Merlin first hears that Arthur has been betrothed, his ribs pull inwards with an odd little hitch, and he only allows himself a second-which he needs in order to coordinate spinning in place without falling on his face-before he’s running to Arthur’s chambers.
This fic is utter perfection, and everything you could wish for a fic. I love how we see the year passing in Camelot, and the relationship between Merlin and Arthur unfolds, and how the castle is alive (not in a magical term though) and wonderful. I love Arthur's friendship with Gawain (who is NOT Gwaine from the TVshow, I suspect the fic has been written before his existence), who is such a dear and interesting OC, and how Uther seems very "real" and not completely mad or completely nice, like he is in so many fics. I love many more things about this fic but I really don't want to spoil you, because every little detail is a wonder to discover. I can just tell you to go read it now.
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The Knights have a Thousand Eyes, by stakeaclaim ; R ; 10 Parts ; 75k words
A/S : In which Arthur attempts to teach his knights, his knights attempt to woo Merlin and Arthur is definitely not jealous....
You can't imagine how much I laughed, squealed, danced, yelped, smiled and other such things in front of this fic!!! It's a constant delight! The knights are all completely amazing - all with an incredible characterisation and such... This is an "old" fic, meaning Kilgarrah is still under the castle and the knights of the Round Table haven't appeared yet, thus all knights (including Gawain) are OCs. But very very amazing ones! And Merlin and Arthur are incredible, because very true to their canon form, and the love between them is so genuine and kind of pure and... canon, that you enjoy it even more! I really can't do anything but wholehearteadly recommend this fic!!!
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Obeisance by casspeach ; PG-13 ; One-Shot ; 5841 words
A/S : It's not that Arthur won't share his toys, just that he expects to get them back undamaged.
This fic is almost gen, somehow, or, more precisely, almost canon-like (considering canon to be gen is something to discuss later). The relationship between Arthur and Merlin is very powerful, with all the things unsaid there's in canon, and the reason why I like this fic is the reason why I dislike most Canon Era fic : I often find them too OOC and like they're stupidly all-gay and openly besotted with each other, missing all the tension there's in Canon in that regard. And that's exactly what I find in this fic that I like so much : the so-called tension, their complicated relationship, a strange mix of servant-prince relationship with a lot of trust and frienship and something more... Really a good read! The One Where Gwaine Gets Cockblocked by Destiny, by tourdefierce ; NC-17 ; One-Shot ; 4540 words
A/S : Gwaine is supposed to be getting some sexy-times with Merlin. He doesn't understand why that isn't happening and he's going to find out, dammit.
This fic is a Merlin/Arthur with voyeur!Gwaine. The outside POV is wonderful (and Gwainish, thus even more wonderful) yet the love between Arthur and Merlin is overwhelming and beautiful. And it's raining during this fic, and I can almost feel the rain, hear it and smell its scent while the porn takes place the story unfolds. I love how Gwaine is all over Merlin and think Arthur is git, but a worth-following one. A very nice read!
Our breath rose in the cold, by lastling ; NC-17 ; 3 Parts ; 17k words
A/S : Arthur Pendragon is pretty happy with life on the hills. He's got a comfortable life with Gwen and his younger brother Bran, but really, he should know better than to think good things never end. When Bran mentions a new presence on the hills, Arthur knows something's about to change, but he never anticipated how much it would change.
This is a fantastic story, in every way you can imagine. It's a magical twist, and I don't even know how to describe it without spoiling everything. I can't, thus I'll just leave you to it and tell you to read it and embrace the mystery... It's somehow both Modern AU and Canon Era...
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Polarity, by castmeaway ; NC-17 ; 4 Parts (in 9 LJ posts) ; Many words (How much??)
A/S : A Camelot still reeling from Morgana’s betrayal plays host to the visiting king of the only nation militant enough to pose a viable threat. Only, a surprising twist is revealed when the heirless king of that nation announces that the dragon lord Balinor was actually his formerly lost and disinherited brother, therefore making Balinor’s son, Merlin, the sole blood heir to his throne.
What did I do reading this story? I cried for the most part. The boys are heartbreaking!!!! This could be your usual Merlin-is-the-heir-of-some-other-kingdom-and-they-marry fic, but this is much more. Because it really deals with the feelings of trust they had between them, and how it becomes a treason, and how there's guilt, and many many anger on top of it, that makes the situation kind of tragic. How it takes time for Arthur to accept, and how Merlin is ready to give everything for him, including is own sanity. And there's Morgana, who makes everything more complicated, and there's the knights who are fantastic, and Gwen and Gaius too and an amazing OC knight if Merlin's kingdom named Karl. This is a very very very beautiful story, and the only real complaint I have to make about it is that the ending is too abrupt and another 30k words would have been welcome. But maybe you can help me convince the author to write them?
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Sadder Than You by tourdefierce ; PG-13 ; One-Shot ; 1200 words
A/S : A future ficlet in which Merlin has a no good, very bad day and Arthur is there, because where else would he be?
This is the very best fic you should keep for your bad days because you read this and it's like eating chocolate and watching soapy movies to feel better. This is absolute cuteness and sweetness and fluffiness and... love. The love in this fic is overwhelming. And there's a bonus kitten !!!
Secrets by dracosoftie ; PG; One-shot; 2400 words
A/S : Keeping secrets is what landed Merlin in this situation, but some things are too precious to ever be said.
I'm not very fan of Canon Era fics. But this one is truly magnificient. This is, as you can guess, a magic reveal, and this is something I like to read when it's well done and plausible, which it is rarely. There is no slash if you don't want it in this story, and it's even closer to Canon, which makes this story even more precious.
Slippery Situation by dracosoftie ; NC-17; One-Shot; 5200 words
A/S : Merlin fumbles what should have been an easy errand, and now he has to help Arthur deal with the consequences.
This is not a real PWP since there's a bit of interesting plot in this, but the porn is really great. Special bonus point for sex talk with Gaius !!!
The Stumble and the Fall, by zoicite ; NC-17 ; 2 Parts (in 4 LJ-posts) ; 22k words
A/S : The infatuation is understandable. Arthur understands completely and quite honestly, he’s flattered. Merlin’s feelings are not the problem. The problem - the thing that Arthur can’t quite figure out - is why Merlin has begun spying on him.
OK... In the beginning of this fic, Arthur is really quite stupid. Like, really, you know? But if you think about it, it's a bit how Arthur is around S1 (which is approximately when this fic takes place), so in fact he's quite IC. The Knights aren't around, just Leon, who is amazing. Morgana is nice, Gwen... doesn't appear mucvh, but it doesn't matter because what's important is the relationship between Arthur and Merlin. And this is wonderful.
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A tree and a bee and a flea, fiddle-dee-dee, by oxoniensis ; R ; One-Shot ; 7861 words
A/S : Arthur is a princess. And other things.
This is the story of all the time Merlin used transformation spells on Arthur (and, occasionnaly, himself). This is, thus, a fic wherein Arthur knows about Merlin's magic. And the relationship between the two of them is utterly fantastic. Very canon-esque, too, even though there's some porn, eventually. And all their little adventure look a bit like what would have been BBC Merlin episodes in this verse. It's rather lovely and a pleasure to read.
Today is Tomorrow and was Yesterday, by rotrude ; NC-17 ; Three Parts ; 22k words
A/S : Merlin uses his magic to save Arthur and himself from the clutches of an angry monster. Something goes wrong and they find themselves whisked off to modern day London.
This is a very nice timetravel fic. It deals very nicely with how it is to arrives in a modern city without knowledge and ID and cards and such, and the relationship between Merlin and Arthur resulting in it is greatly despicted. I also love the sex scene at the end very very very much. I find it reeks with love and care and tenderness and this is a delight to read.
to the world that never let you be, by flypaw ; PG-13 ; Ten Chapters ; 54k words
A/S : When Arthur notices the scars on Merlin, he sets off to find out why a servant of all people has such marks and discovers that Merlin might not be all that he seems.
(This fic sets after the end of S3.) I've read more magic reveal fic than I could possibly remember, and I feel like this one is the one I've been looking for all along. Most of the fic is Merlin telling Arthur what happened in the three first seasons of the show... And it's a long fic, so you can gues that it's not the "and he told him about the Questing Beast and this and that and Arthur made all sort of different faces". There's the actual dialogue. And more importantly, it's Arthur's POV and we see his reactions to it all, and their progression and everything. And this is positively delightful. It's also very interesting to re-live the show thru what Merlin tells Arthur. (I actually cried when he mentionned Balinor. But I did so in front of the episode too so I guess it just means the author has done a wonderful job.) And then they come back to Camelot, and Arthur tries to see what he can do, and there's long parts of Lancelot's POV which are amazing. This is not a fic where everything comes out fixed, but it's a fic with trust and hope and love (not only in the romantic way) and it's beautiful. The hints of slash are only an added cookie to the deliciousness of it all.
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Unraveled, by glimmergirl ; PG ; One-Shot ; 3900 words
A/S: A month into their tour of the kingdom, Merlin fell ill. (There's no author's summary just a few indications: "age difference (18/35), student/teacher, pre-modern fantasy/magic au; illness h/c")
This fic is a bit difficult to talk about. The world is different, a lot of things are, but it's strong and beautiful and amazing. Merlin is like an older version of himself, what he would have become if he was older, and met Arthur later. There's no explicit slash in this story, but it isn't gen either, because there are so many feelings. We follow Arthur's POV, and it's amazing because even though he's 18, he's still the prince, and then has a certain education. All in all, this could almost be read as an Original, except that knowing the characters, their looks and everything is making the story even richer.- V -
The Very Important Quest, by Anon [for now] ; NC-17 ; 3 Parts ; 25k words
A/S: On a Very Important Quest, Arthur and Merlin share clothes, beds, bathwater and secrets.
This fic sets post S3 and doesn't care about the events of S4. Merlin has a quest, and Arthur accompany him and since it's a complicated quest, and it's cold and there are wyverns, a lot of feelings, secrets and other things are unraveled. I guess the summary says enough for you to guess that there is this one thing we all are waiting for in this fic, and it's done wonderfully. It's completely Arthur/Merlin centric, since they're alone together 85% of the time.
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We Cannot Live Unbruised (or on the comm), by fuzzytomato02 ; PG-13 ; One-Shot ; 4011 words
A/S: Leon notices things.
This fic is a rare kind of fic I hope will become more common in fandom. It's A/M seen from an outside POV. Here it's Leon, and it's amazing to see how he feels about Merlin and how he sees his relationship with Arthur and how he and the Knights are willing to keep a lot of secrets for their happiness. I love it because it's not really said that Leon "does it for Arthur" or whatever. There's no simple and specific reason given and it makes his devotion even more precious. And Arthur and Merlin are terribly canon and sweet.
With The Words That Rapture Left, by tourdefierce ; NC-17; Four Parts (Three Chapters and a Porny Epilogue) ; 25k words
A/S : In the aftermath of war, Camelot must rebuild and find a path to the future. Merlin struggles with his place in the new reign of King Arthur, both in regards to his magic and his heart. With a little help from his friends, Merlin will find his destiny and help unite all the people of Albion along the way.
This is a sweet fic, with so much LOVE it hurts (almost). The relationship between Arthur and Merlin is very very intense and beautiful, and Gwaine is awesome (as usual), and it's an incredible post S3 fic. There's a kid in it, a little girl, and seeing Merlin having to take care of her is very nice and cute. And there's an owl, and Gwen/Lancelot, and Leon scaring the crowd and Percival gambling (a lot) and Merlin's magic being all fluffy and adorable... And many other things... And a porny epilogue with foot fetish <3
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