bamf!merlin

In the middle of some quest or another, Merlin, Arthur and the knights find themselves stuck in the middle of a shrine being told that, if they wish to proceed unharmed, they need only speak their true names and titles. Straight-forward enough, right? Wrong. Merlin really hates the Old Religion sometimes.

Gwaine 'borrows' Merlin to be his sparring partner in preparation of whatever. Arthur laughingly agrees. The easy morning spar doesn't go quite how Gwaine expected.

Eggsy knows that omegas aren't supposed to be happy, especially omegas from the estates, and most certainly not ones that have been labeled barren. He's resigned himself to a life of whoring. The only things omegas like him are good for, as Dean so kindly puts it, is being a warm hole to fill. But as long as Eggsy can protect his mum and Daisy, than he'll bend over for whoever wants it. He just didn't expect that person to be Merlin, the notorious alpha leader of Kingsman, one of London's deadliest mafias. Even when Merlin shows interest in Eggsy, he only takes it at face value. Eventually Merlin will get tired of him--they all do. But if he can get a warm bed and some decent money out of this deal, who is Eggsy to complain? It's just his heart on the line.

"I'm not sure what I'd have done.""And I didn't want to put you in that position.” For better or for worse, Arthur knows Merlin's secret. The problem? Merlin doesn't know Arthur knows. This leaves Arthur with a predicament... and an opportunity. A test. Three trials and three opportunities for Merlin to prove he doesn't deserve death. Arthur hopes he will pass them. Maybe then the image of Merlin's golden eyes will stop haunting him. Merlin opened his mouth. A noise unlike any sound Arthur had ever heard escaped from it. Loud and rumbling and guttural, inhuman, and in no way, shape, or form could actually be coming from his manservant. But it was. And Merlin was speaking. "O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes! Erkheo!" For a minute, there was complete silence—a silence in which Arthur just stared from behind a tree in an incomprehensive daze. But then there was a sound. Both loud and forceful and... familiar. The sound of flapping wings. AKA an in-depth character study of Arthur. I do not endorse Arthur's actions, but this is what I think he'd do in canon. This was my season 3 prediction!

All Gwaine wanted was to find out Merlin's last name. He wasn't expecting to get caught up in assassinations and intrigue, in prophecy and fate, or in a silent war that had apparently been going on since before he came to Camelot. With witch-finders and sorcerers of unknown loyalties running through the halls of Camelot, will Gwaine's own past make or break his friendships... especially when Merlin's biggest secret is revealed? Truths will come to light. Brotherhoods will be tested. And, in the end, will anyone's secrets be safe?

An execution was not exactly on Merlin's bucket list, wasn't even what destiny had intended for him, but it would figure that Uther Pendragon's final act would be one last strike against magic. On the bright side—because Merlin's nothing if not desperate for silver linings—he gets to learn more about magic and its still existing community than the castle he has once called home could've ever offered him. And when he finally returns, things might've just changed enough for all of them to have a chance at a better future than fate had planned. Arthur, for his part, really wants to catch a break, and to stop thinking about his late manservant. It should probably be less of a shock that it does not work out so neatly. Between concerning dreams, the realisation of just how wrong his father was—about nearly everything, really—and trying to deal with the loss of the person closest to him, Arthur learns a few things about making choices that aren't always easy, but right. Or sometimes, things have to go downhill first before they get better, and if Uther had known about the eventual outcome, he might've changed his mind for once in his life.

When Arthur finds out about Merlin's magic, he does the only thing he can think of. He banishes him. Circumstances force Merlin to live as a woman to avoid recognition, and he wanders through the Kingdom of Camelot, looking for a new purpose in life. He finds it in 4 small children. Thrown away by their parents for gifts they had no choice in recieving. Merlin realizes his true calling is to spread the knowledge that magic means no harm. Some time later, his path crosses with Arthur again. But with the memory of betrayal so fresh in their minds, can they over come the prejudices built over years of distrust and hatred? ***EPILOGUE POSTED***