The Bear, the Warlock and the Wheelbarrow
Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gwaine/Lancelot/Merlin, Gwaine/Lancelot, Merlin & Nimueh, Hunith & Merlin, Lancelot & Nimueh
Characters: Merlin, Gwaine, Lancelot, Nimueh, Hunith
Additional Tags: fairytale AU, Fluff, Crack, Getting Together, established gwaine/lancelot, Light Angst, only like a sprinkling, Dancing, Animal Transformation, Injury, deriving from ridiculous circumstances and stupidity, Hurt Lancelot, Hurt Merlin, Innuendo, Undressing, Nudity, magic lancelot, Artist Lancelot, based on the fairytale the bear collected by andrew lang in the grey fairy book, ignore the fact that the surname i've given gwaincelot does not mean what i thought it meant, but sounds cool so i've kept it anyway, this fic does not take itself seriously for the first few chapters, many bear puns, this has taken me 3 years to write but was so worth it, wtf do you do when you think a talking bear is coming on to you, inspiration ranges from brave (2012) to paddington, calling them princes in the fairytale way not necessarily the historically accurate way, watch them all fumble over etiquette, alternative title could be 'heart eyes', is it realistic? no, did i enjoy writing it? yes, taking the simple joy that merlin has in s1 and running with it, Merlin is a Little Shit
Merlin was not about to go falling in love with the first person they clapped eyes on. That was what happened in fairytales and a multitude of unpleasant events usually occurred between falling in love and the ending of the tale. Besides, Merlin was there to see the world, not the inside of other peopleâs mouths.
Escaping from the tower they've lived in their entire life, Merlin has a chance encounter with a stranger in the forest that uncovers a path they'd always been told would end in a sheer drop. In tentatively following it, they begin to realise that there is more to survival than fear and that, to truly live, sometimes you have to take a few risks. And pull a few legs along the way.
For @merwaincelotweek (day 7: mistaken identity)
In a land where magicâs reign had been usurped and crowns were gilded in blood, there was once a lonely warlock locked in a tower. Since birth, they had demonstrated remarkable magical abilities and their mother, convinced that they would be manipulated and corrupted, kept them shut away. Always an obedient child, the warlock obeyed their motherâs request that they remain inside. But, as their power grew, their mother was forced to employ a witch, Nimueh, to guard her precious child. Under Nimuehâs tutelage, the warlock became stronger and desperate to escape the tower theyâd been raised in. For though the warlock, who was known simply as Merlin and could have a tongue as sharp as the bird they shared their name with, was able to spend each day at their small stone balcony, they longed to see more of the world.
One otherwise insignificant morning, some years after Merlin had come of age, Nimueh found them gazing out of the narrow window facing the hills. âAll my life I have been trapped here,â they said upon hearing Nimuehâs skirts dust the floor. âI know my mother is this scared only because she loves me, but I am weary of the same four walls. Itâs suffocating me.â
And Nimueh, who had spent her early years shut up in a convent, felt pity for them. âI cannot break the enchantment around this tower, Merlin. Not without your mother finding out. But if I were to allow you to slip through it and create an illusion so your mother would not realise you were missingâŚâ She put her hand to their cheek. âYou should have some freedom, little bird. Ask your mother for a bearskin and a wheelbarrow and I will show you the rest.â
