Merlin Deserved Better

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Because:

Look at this wonderful man.

1954-2026

Lancelot took care of the bodies, his eyes cold and dead, just like winter. He ate the last of the food and he dug the graves, the shovel hitting the frozen ground with mindless precision.

Lancelot survived because he hid, and because he killed the one who found his hiding place. Later, he cleaned the sword with snow. Later, he left his empty home, where blood still bloomed on the iced ground. Later, he forgot the road back home because home didn't exist anymore.

He shivers in winter now.

Still, he cleans Merlin's bloody hands with snow, the gold in his eyes slowly seeping back into the icy blue.

Merlin survives because he hides and because he kills the ones who find his hiding place.

Lancelot didn't have an answer for him. He didn't remember. His head felt hollow, scraped from the inside out, as disjointed thoughts echoed in there with a hissing sound. All he knew was that their last adventure left Merlin shivering in his bedroll, hugging himself with scraped arms in a last bid for comfort, as a single silent tear traveled across his cheek.

Lancelot reached out to swipe at it with a gentle hand and, while tugging Merlin's neckerchief to better hide the Fomorroh's scar from Arthur's eyes, revealed something else entirely.

All breath had left him as he stared at Merlin's heavily bruised throat. Cold horror ran through his veins, as hot rage bloomed in his heart at the monster who dared to hurt, to taint Merlin like this, to lay their hands on him as though they could stifle the sun and not be burnt for it.

He put his shaking fingers above the ugly bruises, and they were the perfect shape.

But Merlin keeping his identity as an oppressed person a secret can never be excused even though he never got to see any positive reinforcement towards magic among his peers who didn’t already know

Arthur’s violence against magical peoples can be excused because he really has convinced himself that magic is inherently harmful!

But when sorcerers act violently in self-defense, well, just because they know from experience that the crown intends them harm is no excuse!

Something about this feels a bit like one of those so-called “double standards” you’re always hearing about… where the oppressors are given grace which the oppressed demographic is not…

…Perhaps influenced by the very social forces that the oppressed are opposing: no matter what they do, they are assumed evil and inferior by default, because of what they are.