Theme: Letters, Emails, Post-Its

[tavern_keeper]

Welcome! This month's theme is Letters, Emails, Post-Its

Comments

[merlintimeshift]

John Greenleaf Whittier: 'Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.Merlin was, and always had been, gangly and awkward. He was clumsy, careless, and usually a bit useless too because he couldn’t quite co-ordinate his limbs properly. It was okay though, he had what his mother described as “a magic way with the animals”. He could talk to them - his way with words mesmerising to all who listened, all who heard - and they talked to him. They appreciated him more than they appreciated anyone else and they listened to him. Merlin liked the animals, but nothing like the way he loved words

[merlintimeshift]

Uther Pendragon was simply known as Lord. Lord of what or where or whom, Merlin didn’t really know and he didn’t really care. All he knew, and all he really needed to know, was that Uther Pendragon was not to be messed with. Don’t call him ‘sir’ call him ‘Lord’ or ‘sire’ if you really had to. Keep your head down and your voice away whenever he was within a 5 mile radius. Never interfere with his hunting trips no matter how inhumane you think they are (Merlin had had to be reminded of that one on many occasions; hunting was the worst kind of sport). And most of all, do not speak to his son

[merlintimeshift]

The day was young. A Wednesday that had yet struck nine, when the sun was shining and everything felt alive. Merlin wasn’t wearing shoes (a sight that was familiar to the locals, to the farmers and the workers of the house), carrying the brown boots in his left hand, the socks tucked into the insides. He was whistling a tune his mother used to sing to him as a boy, a song passed down from her fore-fathers. His hair was longer than it should have been, he’d been avoiding Hunith and her scarily long scissors like the plague for weeks, but he liked it that way. It didn’t flatten down no matter how hard he tried, so he didn’t bother, it was easier not to. His blue top was tucked into his trousers, his red jumper full of holes to keep off the slight chill to the cold of the spring morning

[merlintimeshift]

It was the start of a beautiful long summer. Full of hope and joy and love, Merlin and Arthur fell into a pattern of light romance and fulfilment they could only find when with each other

[merlintimeshift]

He’d been gone a month before Merlin received a letter.

I can’t write much, Merlin, we haven’t been given much time. They say we’ll be able to receive more letters than we can write, I hope that’s okay.

It’s really not as bad out here as we thought. I mean, yes there are a lot of wounded men and bodies lying at the sides of roads and there’s death and destruction everywhere, but it could be worse. Surely it could be worse?

I miss you already, Merlin. More than you will ever know.

For you, now and always, Arthur. He was lying of course. It was as bad as it had seemed to them even from the hundreds of miles away. The levels of horror were off the scale, men were losing their minds and they had barely been there a month. It was not going to be easy

[merlintimeshift]

On June 18th he sent a final letter to Arthur.

Arthur

[merlintimeshift]

Oh Gods, time is running short, and since I fear this will be my final message to you I need to say certain things

[merlintimeshift]

A week later, 6 telegrams arrived.

Perceval Green. Died, Battle of the Somme, July 1st 1916.
Elyan Smith. Died, Battle of the Somme, July 1st 1916.
Lancelot Scully. Died, Battle of the Somme, July 1st 1916.
Gwaine Gorlois. Died, Battle of the Somme, July 1st 1916.
Leon Carr. Died, Battle of the Somme, July 1st 1916.
Arthur Pendragon. Died, Battle of the Somme, July 1st 1916.

All just boys. A band of brothers born to fight, born to die. Falling together on that fateful day, never to return to their loved ones ever again.

July 1st 1916, the day the world ended, the day that Merlin lost everything, the day the words fell away forever.

Just think what might have been.

[merlintimeshift]

Very sad piece, like the war itself. All those friends dead and Merlin left alive and alone.

[alby_mangroves]

Jesus Christ, thanks for breaking my heart, oh my god. They’re lying to us, my darling. I just. It's too much. It's beautiful and horrific and I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out.

[chaosmaka]

Oh god this is so sad :((( thanks for breaking my poor heart :p

[claudine]

This was really beautifully written. It's amazing. I can't even express it. I love the gentle flow of your story, the story of how they met and fell for each other. The longing that the letters conveyed. And those final telegrams were like an arrow to the heart. Wonderful. Thank you.

[malu_3]

I saved this up to read when I could be alone, some place where no one could see me cry - because after skimming the first couple paragraphs, I knew I would, that it was going to be one of those fics that sort of sticks a hand down the throat and tugs. Wonderful use of language and these characters to re-evoke the horrors of that war, make it personal and immediate in a way monuments and memorials never are (imho).

[merlintimeshift]

They are lying to us,my darling.
Just think of all that might still be, what might have been, believe in that.
If anything happens to you there Arthur I swear I will be out there in a heartbeat, fighting where you once stood because they cannot hurt you and get away with it, your life is far too precious for that.

Im crying....i can never decide whether i should read sad stories or not.....on one hand no happy endings and usually Merlin is left alone (poor baby) but then there are all those feels n then the way Writers like you write them*sigh* how can a person not read :( But nontheless job welldone.the way u have shown love between the boys n the last spoken words of Arthur to Merlin asking him to write...its heartbreaking :'(