merlin

i’ve read huNdreds of fics, but it’s these fics (click for part 1) that really matter the most to me. endless eNdless thank you’s to the authors- god these fics are just pure perfection. also read the fics in part one. read these. actually.

important note: summaries shown here may be my own -and may not be exactly the same as they are on ao3. please be sure to read all tags, warnings, and actual summaries on the links.

same river twice

by Kianspo

21, 574 words | Teen and Up

summary: modern royal au. when arthur, the prince of wales, was seventeen, he made a mistake that is still haunting him. eight years later, can he finally make it right?

comments: modern au. i’m a complete slut for the childhood-friends-falling-out-then-meeting-again-at-a-different-way-and-having-to-deal-with-their-history concept. literally wanted to make babies with this fic the second merlin and arthur met.

let us dare

by Kianspo

29, 511 words | Mature

summary: canon era. uther dies instead of ygraine when arthur is born. balinor helps ygraine secure her position as regent, magic isn’t banned, and merlin and arthur grow up side by side. camelot is different but not cloudless, destiny is still a troublesome thing, and arthur is still charmingly oblivious when it comes to things that matter most in life.

comments: love the starting, loved the ending- loved everything about this, basically. again, i’m a complete slut for the childhood-friends-then-losing-touch-then-meeting-again-and-having-to-deal-with-their-history concept. and ygraine is just lovely.

the crown of the summer court

by astolat

24, 339 words | Explicit

summary: druids come to camelot and host a tournament to find their rightful leader. uther is not happy. then, when the druids call upon merlin as a candidate, arthur decidedly becomes not happy as well.

comments: a loT of smut. i’m pretty sure this is the very very first merthur fic i read and i spent a lot of time trying to find it again. i really love merlin’s magic in this one.

dower the stars

by RurouniHime

40, 653 words | Explicit

summary: during a time of great prosperity in albion, the druids offer emrys a precious gift. arthur is not amused. or, many druids line up to kiss merlin for the good of albion. arthur is still not amused.

comments: i read this a loNg long time ago and just found it again now. arthur’s not a possessive brat in this one, but instead questions hiMself and whether or not he’s good enough for merlin. very, vEry beautifully written.

damsel in a phone booth

by Blackwidina

3, 053 words | Teen and Up

summary: walking home alone from a pub in the middle of the night, merlin notices the pervy, handsy guy from the pub following him. panicking, he shuts himself in a phone booth and tries phoning will to get him to pick him up- except his hands are shaking so badly he accidentally calls some random person’s number.

*literally 5 minutes later*

season 1: head-to-toe, on different bedrolls, talking.

my 6 all-time favourite merthur fanfics. you guys don’t understand- these fics and their authors deserve aLL the good in this earth. pls be sure to read additional tags on the actual link. all fics can be found on ao3. all summaries shown here are my own- be sure to read the aCtual summaries on the site. all comments are safe to read- no terrible spoilers.

in spite of everything, the stars

by polomonkey and mushroomtale

82, 243 words | Mature

summary: modern au. arthur is the son of anti-magic politician uthur. merlin is a Magical Rights activist and advisor. tension between magic and anti-magic supporters is high, and arthur is ordered to kidnap merlin.

comments: so much pain in this one. just so much pain and sadness i love this fic. a lil bit of enemies to friends to lovers. arthur protecting merlin- which i honestly love due to watching 5 seasons of merlin mostly protecting arthur- it’s fun to read the opposite now. and a lOT of pain.

pianos are made for falling

by fishwrites

103, 679 words | Teen and Up

summary: modern au. arthur is a renowned violinist, and morgana, his accompanist, is a pianist. when morgana breaks her wrist two weeks before the recital, merlin replaces her. merlin emrys, the man that plays by ear and just really wants to be a kindergarten teacher.

comments: this is the one, guys. i know- the summary might not sound super exciting- but read this. i can’t stress this enough- this fic is perfection. how the author writes their personalities and all the plot and the friendships and tears and sadness and happiness i just love this fic so much. one of the only fics to ever make me cry. this fic wiLL affect you.

we are all diamonds

by footloose

134, 304 words | Mature

summary: modern au. arthur is deaf and is heir to a diamond company. merlin is an opera singer has-been, and is a translator with magic. when arthur’s translator doesn’t show up for the most important speech he’s ever gonna make in his life, he’s about to let his not-trustworthy uncle make the speech instead of him. luckily, lancelot brings merlin.

comments: pining. a lOt of pining. how the author shows and writes how merlin’s singing voice feels is just so pUre. i was sold to this fic the second merlin and arthur met.

pink and black and blue (for you)

by polomonkey

7, 508 words | Mature

summary: modern au. soulmate au. some people are born with soulmate connections, and arthur’s one that has a rather unfortunate one- they share bruises. and his soulmate just happens to be the clumsiest person in the world. luckily, he has the friendly IT tech Wizard to keep him sane.

comments: i shit myself laughing over this one scene in the fic. a good thing to read if you wanna be take a break from all the sadness from reading my other fic recs. no terrible angst or bad emotional pain in this fic.

shelter

by sinestrated

39, 504 words | Teen and Up

summary: 8 years have passed since merlin fled Camelot after revealing his magic. now, with his kingdom crumbling under a sorcerer attack, arthur reaches out to sorcerers across his land to find a solution.

comments: one of the first ever merthur fics i’ve read and i spent so much time trying to find this again. a take on the what-if-merlin’s-magic-was-revealed-and-he-was-sentenced-to-death au. i fuckin love reunion scenes so this was just blEssed.

time forward

by kianspo

23, 180 words | Teen and Up

summary: college au. merlin, gwen, and arthur are best friends. arthur falls in love with one of them, but marries the other. but this isn’t arthur’s story to tell- it’s merlin’s. and merlin will always remember he saw arthur first.

comments: a bit different from all my other recs, but still vEry good. lil bit of a love triangle going on. i don’t usually go for these college au’s, but this fic still made my top 6. a lot of pining in this one. some angst. kianspo is deFinitely one of my fave merthur fic authors.

___________

merlin: i could take you apart with less than that.

arthur: .

arthur:

jensen ackles, alfred enoch, jeffrey morgan, jared padalecki, and a stranger are in a waiting room, sitting on chairs. finally the nurse comes out and calls, “dean, you’re next!”