Kingship, Merlin, Arthur/Uther, kingkindkitJanuary 29 2009, 08:18:01 UTC
The king is drunk. Arthur's never seen him like this, slouched in his chair with all the steel gone out of him. He looks strange.
He looks ordinary. A tired man with firelight glinting red off his grey hair.
The king pours himself another goblet of wine, having long ago sent the servants away. "Don't you think you've had enough?" Arthur asks, and only then does he realize that he's half-drunk himself, on watered wine and the last traces of fever.
"Celebrating," the king answers after gulping half of it down. "You're alive." He reaches across the low table between them and grasps Arthur's hand. Arthur wonders when he took his gloves off; the king prefers to touch the world through leather. "C'mere so I can see you."
Arthur obeys the tug on his arm and stands. The candle is guttering, the light dim, but the king stares into his face. "Father - "
"Never thought you'd wake. It would've - come here, boy." And somehow Arthur is sitting on the king's knee, which is not a place he's ever been. "The end." His father's hand, rough with
( ... )
Re: Kingship, Merlin, Arthur/Uther, kingsparklebutchJanuary 30 2009, 16:10:29 UTC
That was pretty. I loved the descriptions of the hands, "the king prefers to touch the world through leather", "rough with thirty years of kingship", "the touch of a man who's almost forgotten hands can be anything but fists".
Re: Kingship, Merlin, Arthur/Uther, kingdark_angelisJanuary 30 2009, 16:31:48 UTC
I have a big kink for Uther/Arthur so I was delighted to read this. I totally understand what you were saying in the above comments about the intensity of their relationship and it being hard not to let your mind go in this direction. I'm exactly the same. There's just something about them and the way they interact... either that or I'm just a dirty pervert!
I liked your more positive take on the relationship here, with Arthur fully consenting. I haven't seen anyone do that so far. I love the deep bond of love and trust between them. I really enjoyed this piece and I hope you might write more on this (disturbingly hot) pairing :D
Re: Kingship, Merlin, Arthur/Uther, kingkindkitJanuary 30 2009, 19:34:13 UTC
I think Tony Head makes me a dirty pervert. I used to write Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic, and my main 'ship was Giles/Oz. I like to ship Tony Head's characters with boys half his age. (Of course, the incest adds a new level of baddirtywrong.)
Re: Kingship, Merlin, Arthur/Uther, kingenigelJanuary 31 2009, 13:15:51 UTC
*gulp* You broke me, because this was so good. I usually don't read parent/child incest by default, but I saw your name and trusted you and I am glad, because somehow you made it not-squicky. I think it's usually the power imbalance and "daddy kink" that put me off, but the way you write them worked for me.
Your characterisation of Uther - his loneliness and isolation, his admission that he'd be shattered if he lost Arthur - makes me feel for him. And wonderful touches like this: "The habit of power stays with Uther even here, like a second coat of chain mail under the skin.", ""The end of me if I'd lost you. Arthur."", "the touch of a man who's almost forgotten hands can be anything but fists", "Arthur doesn't want to permit this, he wants to meet it halfway."
He looks ordinary. A tired man with firelight glinting red off his grey hair.
The king pours himself another goblet of wine, having long ago sent the servants away. "Don't you think you've had enough?" Arthur asks, and only then does he realize that he's half-drunk himself, on watered wine and the last traces of fever.
"Celebrating," the king answers after gulping half of it down. "You're alive." He reaches across the low table between them and grasps Arthur's hand. Arthur wonders when he took his gloves off; the king prefers to touch the world through leather. "C'mere so I can see you."
Arthur obeys the tug on his arm and stands. The candle is guttering, the light dim, but the king stares into his face. "Father - "
"Never thought you'd wake. It would've - come here, boy." And somehow Arthur is sitting on the king's knee, which is not a place he's ever been. "The end." His father's hand, rough with ( ... )
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I liked your more positive take on the relationship here, with Arthur fully consenting. I haven't seen anyone do that so far. I love the deep bond of love and trust between them. I really enjoyed this piece and I hope you might write more on this (disturbingly hot) pairing :D
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Thanks so much!
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Your characterisation of Uther - his loneliness and isolation, his admission that he'd be shattered if he lost Arthur - makes me feel for him. And wonderful touches like this: "The habit of power stays with Uther even here, like a second coat of chain mail under the skin.", ""The end of me if I'd lost you. Arthur."", "the touch of a man who's almost forgotten hands can be anything but fists", "Arthur doesn't want to permit this, he wants to meet it halfway."
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It's usually something I avoid, too, so I was surprised to find myself interested in this pairing.
I'm really pleased that you like the Uther characterization. He fascinates me, because he's so cold, harsh, and isolated but also so capable of love.
Thanks so much.
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The habit of power stays with Uther even here, like a second coat of chain mail under the skin. is just one of the lines that took my breath away.
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