Arthur Pendragon

Arthur loves Merlin above everyone else.

Merlin does the same.

I agree that Merlin and Arthur love other people, care about them and about who they serve and viceversa, but we're missing a crucial point here:

no person outside the world that is Arthur and Merlin would risk, not just themselves, but somebody else, for the other to live.

Leon tells Arthur he can't go back to Camelot and take Merlin to Gaius, after the Dorocha attacks him, because thousand of innocents would then die, if Arthur doesn't complete his quest.

Arthur didn't care.

Arthur almost, accidentally started multiple conflicts to protect Merlin.

Drinking poison, going against his father, the king, by defending Merlin from the Witchfinder, the man who tortured the Druids, despite him being there per Uther's request, queen Annis, the slave owners that worked for Morgana, that he found because he supposedly had to save his knights, and so on.

Was he ready to die himself to protect Merlin? Absolutely. Did he put Merlin's life above that of his own kingdom multiple times? Also yes.

Gwen stops Arthur from going alone to look for Merlin, when Morgana takes him as a prisoner. Gwaine offers to escort him, because bandits could still be around and kill Arthur. The king of Camelot was ready to die for Merlin, yes, as well as Gwaine, but Arthur was one hundred percent ready to leave his future wife behind for Merlin.

Arthur didn't care for her.

Merlin? Well, he killed for Arthur the first day he met him, no questions asked. He was ready to let Uther die, if Gwen didn't stop him, despite him being Arthur's father.

Merlin didn't care.

He was about to let a child die.

He didn't care.

He killed Morgana (season three), without hesitation, 'only' because she was prophesied to kill Arthur in the future.

Still didn't care.

He went against the knights to protect Arthur from himself.

Didn't care to hurt them.

Decided to help Gwen get rid of her course because Arthur begged for his help.

Didn't care if she lived or not.

No one ever came this close to matter for Arthur and Merlin (except maybe Uther for Arthur, and Hunith and Gaius for Merlin).

A desperate mother who wanted to revenge the death of her son.

Who was executed because of his magic.

Merlin stopped her.

Merlin killed her without blinking an eye. By that accused magic...

He even didn't like Arthur at that moment.

And it was just the beginning...

Merlin talking about Gaius, when Agravaine kidnapped him and Arthur didn't believe Merlin.

"There's something I want to say."

"You're not going to say goodbye."

"No."

Arthur and Merlin, moments before Arthur dies.

The Great Dragon tells Merlin Arthur will rise again. Why shouldn't Merlin believe him?

After all...

What the fuck was the point?

For FIVE SEASONS we get beaten over the head with this prophecy. Arthur is the Once and Future King. Arthur is the great hope of Albion. Arthur will unite the land. Arthur will usher in an age of peace. Arthur will restore the balance between the Old Religion and the new world. Arthur will create a kingdom where magic users can finally live openly and freely.

Also Arthur:

"RIGHT THEN YOU ARCANE SHITWEASEL, OFF TO THE EXECUTION BLOCK."

LIKE???

WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE???

WHAT HAS BEEN THE POINT OF ANY OF THIS???

Five seasons.

Five.

Fucking.

Seasons.

And before anyone starts screaming:

"BUT ARTHUR WAS INDOCTRINATED!!!"

YES.

WE KNOW.

EVERYONE KNOWS.

The writers remind us every six and a half fucking minutes.

Arthur was indoctrinated.

Arthur inherited prejudice.

Arthur inherited fear.

That explains Season 1.

Maybe Season 2.

Maybe even Season 3.

But by Season 5?

FUCK OFF.

By Season 5 Arthur has personally witnessed enough evidence to fill seventeen libraries.

He has met good magic users.

Been saved by magic users.

Protected by magic users.

Helped by magic users.

Rescued by magic users.

Loved by magic users.

His entire fucking existence is being held together with magical duct tape applied by Merlin.

Arthur should be dead.

Like "worms renting his ribcage" dead.

Like "here lies Arthur Pendragon, survived by absolutely nobody because he died in Season 1" dead.

Merlin saves this man so many times it's genuinely hilarious.

Poison. Assassins. Monsters. Curses. Wraiths. Goblins. Dragons. Immortal armies. Murderous priests. Psychotic sorcerers. Bad writing decisions.

Merlin saves him from EVERYTHING.

At some point Arthur should have accidentally tripped over enough magical interventions to start asking questions.

Instead his brain apparently has the memory retention of a concussed turnip.

Every episode follows the same fucking pattern.

Arthur:

"Magic is evil."

Episode Events:

Magic saves Arthur.

Magic saves Camelot.

Magic saves the kingdom.

Magic saves his friends.

Magic saves the economy.

Magic cures cancer.

Magic solves inflation.

Magic personally tucks Arthur into bed.

Arthur at the end:

"Hmmm.

Anyway.

Magic bad."

YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING WALNUT.

ARE YOU LEARNING?

ARE THE GEARS TURNING?

IS THERE ANYONE HOME?

HELLO?

HELLOOOOO?

Knock knock.

Anybody inside the Chosen One's skull?

Or is it just two exhausted hamsters taking turns falling off a wheel?

The SHOW keeps telling us Arthur is changing.

The SHOW keeps telling us Arthur is becoming the king he was meant to be.

The SHOW keeps telling us we're witnessing growth.

Meanwhile I'm sitting there watching the same lesson get taught for the 493rd time.

It's like watching someone repeatedly touch a stove.

"Ow."

Episode ends.

Next episode.

"What's this?"

Touches stove.

"Ow."

Arthur's character development has the forward momentum of a dead ox being dragged through cement.

And then we get to Merlin.

Oh sweet merciful CHRIST.

MERLIN.

The most gaslit man in television history.

This poor bastard sacrifices EVERYTHING for Arthur.

Everything.

His identity. His freedom. His happiness. His relationships. His future. His emotional stability. His fucking sanity.

Merlin spends a decade walking around like an unpaid magical crisis-management department.

Nobody thanks him. Nobody knows. Nobody appreciates him.

The man is basically Camelot's invisible life-support machine.

And the entire reason he keeps suffering is because everyone keeps telling him:

"Trust the prophecy."

"The future will be worth it."

"Arthur will change."

"Arthur will understand."

"Arthur will bring freedom."

"Arthur will create a golden age."

"Arthur will become the king magic users deserve."

WELL FUCKING WHEN???

WHEN???

WHAT CALENDAR ARE WE USING HERE???

THE PROPHECY KEEPS OPERATING ON THE MOST AGGRESSIVE "COMING SOON" SCREEN IN HUMAN HISTORY.

Five seasons.

TEN YEARS.

And Merlin is still hiding.

Still lying. Still terrified. Still unable to tell his best friend who he really is.

Think about how fucked that is.

The man destined to free magic users cannot even be trusted with the existence of ONE magic user.

His BEST FRIEND.

The guy who washes his socks. The guy who saves his life every Wednesday. The guy who literally drags destiny itself across the finish line by the throat.

Merlin knows Arthur so well that he can predict his moods from breathing patterns.

And he still thinks revealing his magic could get him executed.

WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?

Because it sure as shit doesn't tell me we're approaching a golden age.

Arthur gets way too much credit for being "better than Uther."

Because congratulations.

He's better than Uther.

Do you know how low that bar is?

Uther's moral compass was a fucking kitchen knife.

Being better than Uther isn't an achievement.

That's the minimum legal requirement for being considered a functioning human being.

If I said:

"This guy only commits HALF as many hate crimes as his father."

You wouldn't throw a parade.

You'd ask why he's still committing hate crimes.

Yet Arthur gets treated like a revolutionary because occasionally he hesitates before sentencing people.

My brother in Christ.

The laws are still there. The executions are still happening. The persecution is still happening. The fear is still happening. The suffering is still happening.

Institutional discrimination and state funded genocide is still operating at full fucking capacity.

Arthur feels bad about it sometimes.

Fantastic.

A gold star.

A sticker.

A juice box.

The magic users being burned alive are surely comforted by that.

Arthur's own story constantly sets up opportunities for change.

The show practically gift-wraps them.

Mordred.

The druids.

Freya.

Countless innocent magical people.

Repeated examples.

Repeated lessons.

Repeated proof.

And every time Arthur gets close to genuine growth, the writers panic and hit the emergency reset button.

Because if Arthur actually changed?

The show would have to evolve.

Merlin's secret would come out.

The relationship would deepen.

The conflict would become more interesting.

The narrative would move forward.

But apparently somebody in the writers' room was guarding the status quo like a rabid fucking bridge troll.

So instead Arthur spends five seasons running on a treadmill.

Lots of movement.

No actual progress.

Then the ending arrives.

And Arthur dies.

And I'm supposed to be satisfied?

Excuse me?

The man dies before accomplishing the single most important thing the prophecy promised.

Magic isn't legalized.

Magic users aren't free.

Merlin isn't accepted.

The golden age doesn't happen.

We're just told it'll happen later.

Eventually.

One day.

Trust us.

Source: dude just trust me.

And then Merlin spends the next fifteen hundred years wandering around looking like a Victorian ghost who lost a custody battle with happiness.

So after all the sacrifices.

After all the prophecies.

After all the deaths.

After all the suffering.

After all the waiting.

After all the "Arthur is destiny" speeches.

The grand payoff is basically:

"Well.

Maybe someday."

Maybe someday???

MAYBE SOMEDAY???

You cosmic fucking scam artists.

You narrative pickpockets.

You prophecy-selling charlatans.

You destiny-flavored fraud merchants.

You absolute council of enchanted dipshits.

You spent five seasons promising a golden age and delivered a delayed shipping notification.

Arthur was supposed to bring freedom.

You spent five seasons making me wait.

I wanted to SEE it.

I wanted Arthur making laws.

I wanted Arthur dismantling Uther's legacy.

I wanted Arthur publicly standing beside magic users.

I wanted Camelot changing.

I wanted proof.

Instead I got five seasons of "trust the process" followed by Arthur dying and Merlin wandering around for 1,500 years looking depressed.

I actually agree with a lot of what you're saying, and I think this is one of the reasons Merlin is still so fun to discuss years later. It's a tragedy where almost everyone contributes to the disaster in some way.

I absolutely agree that Merlin is not some morally spotless hero. I think fandom sometimes swings too far in the opposite direction and treats him like he's incapable of making bad decisions because "the prophecy made him do it." It didn't.

Merlin lies. He manipulates people. He decides who lives and who dies. He hides information. He actively shapes Arthur's choices by deciding what Arthur does and doesn't know. He puts Arthur above almost everyone else, sometimes to a really disturbing degree. He lets innocent magic users continue suffering because he's convinced Arthur's future matters more than their present. He repeatedly chooses protecting one man over helping an entire persecuted community. Those are flaws—serious ones.

I also agree that Merlin often works against the future he's supposedly trying to create. His fear of disrupting destiny ironically causes him to cling so tightly to one version of it that he stops seeing any alternatives. He becomes reactive instead of proactive. He spends so much time protecting Arthur that he neglects the people Arthur is supposedly destined to protect. There's definitely a reading where Merlin's obsession with preserving the prophecy becomes one of the biggest obstacles to it ever coming true, and I think that's a really interesting interpretation.

Where I disagree is with the idea that this means Arthur isn't responsible, because Arthur is still Arthur. Merlin manipulates him, yes. But he doesn't possess him. He doesn't magically rewrite Arthur's personality. He doesn't cast a spell every time Arthur signs an execution order. He doesn't force Arthur to keep Uther's laws on the books. Arthur is still making those choices.

I think taking all of the responsibility away from Arthur undermines his character. If Arthur is destined to become this legendary king, then his successes have to be his own, but so do his failures. Otherwise he stops being an active participant in his own story and becomes someone everyone else acts upon. At that point, Uther gets the blame, Merlin gets the blame, Morgana gets the blame, destiny gets the blame—but Arthur never actually owns anything. I don't think that's a satisfying reading of his character either.

Ironically, I think that's something the show itself struggles with. Arthur gets treated almost like an object that history happens to rather than someone actively shaping history.

He's the one with legislative power. He's the one with the authority to change the laws. He's the one deciding who gets pardoned and who gets executed. Merlin can influence him, but he cannot make those decisions for him.

I also think there's a difference between saying "Merlin contributed to Arthur's downfall" and saying "Merlin prevented Arthur from fulfilling the prophecy." The first? Absolutely. The second? I'm not convinced.

Because for that argument to work, the show would actually have to let Merlin's mistakes matter in a direct narrative sense. If the writers wanted to tell a story where Merlin's secrecy doomed everything, I actually think that could have been brilliant. Imagine if Merlin had revealed his magic years earlier and Arthur had rejected him, hardening his views on magic forever. Or imagine if Merlin's lies permanently shattered Arthur's trust, making the reforms everyone hoped for impossible. That would be devastating, but at least the story would actually be about Merlin's choices causing the outcome.

Instead, what actually happens is Arthur spends five seasons repeatedly learning the exact same lesson and then forgetting it. That's where my frustration comes from.

Arthur repeatedly meets good magic users. He's saved by them, protected by them, and benefits from magic over and over again. Not just Merlin either—the Druids, Balinor, "Will", Freya, and countless unnamed sorcerers who aren't evil. Repeatedly the narrative says, "Look, Arthur. Here's another example that your worldview is incomplete."

And Arthur does soften. I agree with you there. I genuinely think he becomes kinder than Uther, more compassionate, more willing to question things, and less immediately bloodthirsty. He's clearly progressing as a person.

My problem is that the progress never reaches the point where it fundamentally changes Camelot. By Season 5, magic users are still being arrested. Still executed. Still forced into hiding. Merlin—Arthur's closest friend—is still convinced that revealing his magic could get him killed. And Merlin isn't being paranoid. That's a completely rational fear based on the kingdom Arthur is still ruling.

And that's where I struggle to put the blame primarily on Merlin, because Arthur has had years to begin dismantling that system, even gradually. I'm not expecting him to wake up one morning and announce, "Magic is legal now, everyone have fun." That wouldn't be realistic either. But I wanted to see the beginning. I wanted debates. Political resistance. Nobles objecting. Arthur pushing back against Uther's legacy. Small legal reforms. Public pardons. Protections for Druids. A slow transition. Anything.

Instead, the series kind of freezes Arthur in place until the finale. That's why I always come back to blaming the writing more than either character. I think the writers wanted two contradictory things at once. They wanted Arthur to be developing into the king of prophecy, but they also wanted Merlin's secret to remain hidden until the last possible second. Those two goals eventually became incompatible.

The more Arthur genuinely grew, the harder it became to believe Merlin couldn't trust him. So instead of letting Arthur continue growing, the show repeatedly reset him just enough to preserve the status quo.

So I definitely agree that Merlin's obsession with destiny becomes his downfall. I think that's one of the central tragedies of the show. He sacrifices the present for a promised future that never arrives, and by the time he finally tells Arthur the truth, it's too late.

But I also don't think Arthur gets a free pass because Merlin manipulated him. Arthur is his own person. His virtues belong to him. His failures belong to him too.

And honestly, I think the biggest tragedy is that they're both victims of the same thing: a narrative that keeps insisting tomorrow will finally be the day everything changes. Arthur keeps being told he'll become the Once and Future King. Merlin keeps being told to trust the prophecy. The audience keeps being told the golden age is coming.

Then the show ends before delivering on the very promise it spent five seasons making.

Oh wow, well, yeah, all of this except a few points. I agree with 95% of what you wrote except that Arthur continued to execute magic users during his reign? "By Season 5, magic users are still being arrested. Still executed." Did we watch the same Season 5? I really don't recall any magic user being executed apart from that trouble with Kara but she wanted to kill him (the King) and refused to change her mind and/or accept his options to save her life... Arthur was also the one saving that old woman from the pyre (The Death Song of Uther) and in The Disir Arthur was clearly ready to change the laws and bring back the Old Religion only to be stopped by... well, Merlin...

"Merlin is still convinced revealing his magic could get him killed" I don't think so, he was probably more afraid of banishment, i.e. of losing Arthur's trust and Arthur himself...

"Arthur keeps being told he'll become the Once and Future King" and I have to ask WHEN and by whom? He never knew anything about his "Grand Destiny", about that once and future nonsense and Merlin's active and key role in all this (!!) which really ruined the whole series in the end... We deserved to watch them (Might&Magic) fight side by side for that promised Golden Age... We were robbed 😔

Merlin heard the cursing and threats long before the prince appeared crashing through the tree line; he watched as he made one last effort to wrap his arms around a tree trunk to stop his feet carrying him forward, but it was to no avail.

Merlin lowered his flute.

‘Hi again.’

‘What the hell are you playing at, piper?’ Arthur bellowed. He looked utterly dishevelled—tunic torn, leaves in his hair, and one boot clasped in his hand instead of where it belonged. Merlin winced; he hadn’t considered the possibility that Arthur might be barefoot when he began to play his music. He pushed the guilt aside for now.

‘Um, it was in the contract I signed with your father? And my name is Merlin.’

‘What are you blathering on about? My father wouldn’t…trade me, for your services.’

‘Yeah, I know—but he didn’t pay me. I got rid of the rats, and then he threatened to execute me because magic is technically still outlawed in Camelot.’

Arthur looked at him in bewilderment.

‘So you kidnapped me instead? Are you actually insane?’

Merlin shrugged and fiddled with his flute.

‘It was all in the small print.’

Arthur turned and took one step back the way he’d come, before seeming to realise it would be futile to try and run. He gave a frustrated shout, then lobbed the boot he held at Merlin’s head.

‘You are—so—gods, what were you planning to do next? Did you think this through at all?’

‘Erm…’

‘Yeah. Figures.’

With a sigh he sank down on to the ground and began to pick bits of stick out of his cut foot.

‘Um,’ Merlin said again, ‘my home is just in the next clearing. I can make you a poultice? For—‘ he pointed at Arthur’s foot, ‘Sorry, by the way, I didn’t think…yeah. And I’ve made a stew, if you’re hungry?’

Arthur stared at him.

‘You are, without a doubt, the strangest person I have ever met.’

Merlin interpreted that as yes please, and reached down to haul Arthur to his feet, pulling his arm over his shoulder to support him through the trees.

‘I’m definitely getting executed now, aren’t I?’ He said, common sense finally catching up.

‘Yes. But I’ll make sure it’s painless if the stew is good.’

~

It’s just typical, Merlin thinks, that he has yet to make a single friend but has already made an enemy — and a powerful one at that. The King’s son. The Prince of Camelot. How excellent.

The cold is seeping into his legs, his thin breeches leaving him ill-equipped for a night in the cells. His throat has been dry for a while, and he doesn’t know if he will get any water, or any food. Camelot, from what he has seen, does not seem to be the kind of kingdom where prisoners are treated with mercy.

Things could be worse, though. He has spent all of his previous nights sleeping on the floor, after all, and after the burning he witnessed he understands deeply exactly how dire the situation could be. The plan his mother had concocted out of desperate fear, the notion that he would be sent away for safe keeping, seems laughably ironic now.

There is a soft thudding, the sound of footsteps echoing through the cavernous dungeons. A guard, Merlin assumes, possibly with some water, or food, hopefully both.

“It’s all right,” someone says. “I am in no need of assistance. You may leave your posts.”

Oh shit, Merlin thinks, recognising the haughty voice of Prince Arthur, despite the lack of mockery in his tone. He really, really does not want to get beaten up, but he braces himself for violence anyway, standing up and holding his arms up in front of his chest, fists clenched.

Prince Arthur frowns when he turns the corner and sees Merlin. “What are you doing?”

“Defending myself,” Merlin replies, shoring up his stance.

“Defending yourself,” the prince repeats, as if it’s the silliest thing he’s ever heard. “Of course. From what, exactly?”

Merlin looks him up and down. “From you, obviously.”

“From me? What did you think, that I would fight a man being kept in a cell?”

Merlin does not relax his stance. The prince sighs. “God above. Look, Merlin, was it?” Merlin nods. “I was coming by to let you out.”

Merlin’s jaw drops, and his arms fall down to his sides, useless. “You were— what?”

“I spoke with Gaius. He assured me that what happened earlier will never happen again and that you are generally an intelligent and reasonable sort of lad, who will have learned his lesson by now.” His eyes narrow. “This sort of behaviour does rather contradict his point.”

“I’ve learned my lesson!” Merlin agrees, nodding repeatedly, a little manically. “Definitely, absolutely, will not happen again.” Prince Arthur looks at him, expectant, and Merlin realises his error. “Um, Sire,” he adds, smiling as brightly as he possibly can.

The prince looks up, exhaling sharply. What he is looking for, Merlin does not know. Maybe the aforementioned God Above, though Merlin is quite sure that no Gods, of the old religion or the new, exist in a place such as the one they are occupying.

“All right,” the prince says, producing a key. “I’m going to let you out now, but you must go straight to Gaius’ chambers. And you must not tell anyone of this.”

“Of course not, my lord. I know how to keep a secret,” he promises.

Prince Arthur pauses. He looks up, right at Merlin, as though he is looking through him, as though he can see right into his mind and pry all of his secrets out of him.

Merlin grins, trying to appear as non-threatening and guileless as he possibly can. “Not that I have any to keep,” he says. “Just, you know. Hypothetically.”

“Right,” the prince says, sounding as though he means the opposite. “Well this is not hypothetical. No one can know that I freed you.”

“Why is that?” Merlin asks, unable to stop himself.

“Because if anyone finds out I let you out, they will expect the same treatment, and then the whole kingdom will descend into lawlessness.”

“Ahh, of course. Secrecy sounds very sensible, if that is the alternative,” Merlin says. Prince Arthur smiles, and is transformed by it. His whole face seems to soften, and all of a sudden Merlin realises that they are of an age, that the prince can’t be much older than he is. And he’s gorgeous. Undeniably, obviously, startlingly gorgeous. Oh, Merlin thinks. Oh no.

The grating sound of metal upon metal disturbs his train of thought before it can become any more wildly inappropriate. “Go,” the prince urges, voice soft, low, “and do not end up here again.” He steps backwards as the door opens, and then turns, walking towards the stairs that will lead him out of the dungeon.

“I’ll try,” Merlin calls out, taking a deep breath of fresh (well, fresher) air.

“When Colin (Morgan) & I met we spoke about what we wanted for our characters, and the dynamic of the relationship. We had a great time working together, hanging out together, we had aligned senses of humour. It was a bit odd honestly, we had an almost telepathic understanding at times, which was beneficial on and off set.”

[Merlin Seduction Report 2/...]

Day 2 of the Seduction.

Father does not approve of my picking flowers for my beloved.

Dear diary #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

[Merlin Seduction Report 28/30]

Day 28

Dammit.

I've tried everything.

What is wrong with him?