#31-3

As a pagan, Merlin was all for respecting tradition, but only in a few specific cases. Otherwise, the modernisation of the world was a good thing most of the times, from vaccinations to the internet. However, that modernisation came to a screeching halt at the threshold of the Royal Household’s wardrobe department (up to and including the fact that there was a wardrobe department), so Merlin was stuck reading through age-brittle paper files, some of them actual purple-inked mimeographs, as part of his crash course in Properly Covering the Royal Arse (and not in a fun way).

Pushing those thoughts firmly aside, Merlin got out his mobile and started photographing the paper file for later reference. There was no way he’d memorise a tenth of the information before him — not when he didn’t even know what half the fashion terms were. It didn’t help that he kept getting distracted by phrases like “choosing a proper collar” and “knots that wouldn’t come undone.” He’d never been particularly kinky, but something about His Imperious Majesty brought out Merlin’s dominant side.

Was Arthur a brat by nature or was he overcompensating for a submissive streak wider than the Thames?

“Merlin, are — Uh...”

Merlin quickly ducked his head lower, covering the flash of his eyes, and gripped the mobile more tightly before sending his cousin a wordless, “???”

Q’s mind-voice was hesitant, almost too soft for Merlin to catch it, though the tech-based connection seemed solid. “Are you, uh, busy?”

“No?” Merlin answered, puzzled. “I’m reading the most boring wardrobe guides imaginable.”

After a brief pause that felt startled, Q said, “Wardrobe. I, uh, don’t think black leather would be appropriate —”

Merlin’s mental yelp came out as a loud gasp that he hid by faking a sneeze, deliberately taking his hand off his mobile to cover his nose and mouth. In that instant, he wrapped those thoughts in magical shields stronger than the Tower of London.

Only a few people in the busy room looked up from their sewing projects at the strange noise he made. Once they returned to their work, he put his hand on the mobile again and said, “Ignore all that please.”

In the show, Arthur starts out as an entitled, spoiled, bullying asshole (forgive the quality, but https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQXEqfKU5jQ is his first encounter with Merlin). He develops a conscience, learns to trust Merlin... and then reverts to being 10x worse. This has led to some truly glorious, epic fix-it fics.

Arthur and Morgana are half-sisters. Arthur’s mother is Ygraine, who died giving birth to him, and Morgana’s mother is Vivienne, who also had another child, Morgause, leading to a complicated line of half-siblings. Here’s Arthur, Merlin, Morgana, and Morgause, in order from left to right (note that Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana are all around the same age):

In the fic, Morgause is from the Netherlands.

The dragon, Kilgharrah ships Merlin and Arthur something fierce. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKL7q6yb8ME )

Kilgharrah is also played by John Hurt, who played the War Doctor in Doctor Who. This is the inspiration for Kilgharrah’s eccentric wardrobe in the fic (minus the sonic screwdriver).

Gaius is Merlin’s uncle and the Court Physician. In the fic, he’s also Q’s father and the Royal Apothecary, which is a legit position in the British Royal Household. In both, he has magic, though in the show, he doesn’t dare use it without great need.

By the way, when someone uses magic, their eyes usually (but not always) change color. For Merlin and Druids in general (I think?) it’s gold.

In the show, Nimueh is a High Priestess of the Old Religion who does some fairly erratic things, and then Merlin kills her. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rhViLkTKbY )

Guinevere is awesome. In the show, she’s not noble -- she’s Morgana’s servant. The more Guinevere and Arthur fall in love, the more revealing her dresses get. Again, NO LOVE TRIANGLE IN MY FIC. She ends up with Lance, and any crush she and Arthur may or may not have doesn’t turn to angst and misery.

The show introduces knights who are prominent in mythology, only to kill them off ten minutes later. The core of Arthur’s knights pictured below, from left to right (and note that everyone but the two guys on the ends are standing on boards or boxes to make them taller, HA):

Percival: In the show, he kind of wanders in out of nowhere, as Lance’s huge pal, and helps Arthur reclaim the throne after Morgana conquers Camelot. He’s huge. Like, mountain huge. This is why he gets the short sleeved mail shirt.

Gwaine: Spelled Gwaine, not Gawaine, he’s absolutely awesome. He loves drinking, tavern brawls, and women (and Merlin - LOTS of Gwaine/Merlin shippers out there), and while he verges on being That Creepy Guy around a woman he likes, he also can (eventually) take no for an answer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRe5vj3VIcg He’s like the puppy who you take home from the shelter only to find out he’s a purebred, and even though he ate your sofa, you still let him sleep on your bed because he’s just that cute. The show turns him into comic relief in later episodes, which is really a disservice. If you watch one episode of the show, watch Gwaine (season 3 episode 4).

Lancelot: Not of noble birth, actually ends up being a cage fighter at one point (season 2 episode 4). The show includes a love triangle. I don’t, because I hate love triangles when polyamory is right there as a perfectly good solution. He’s played by Venezuelan actor Santiago Cabrera.

Arthur: The royal prat. Merlin really wants to turn him into a sheep. This isn’t specified in the show, but he does suggest that if someone wants to kill Arthur, he’d be delighted to help them.

Elyan: Guinevere’s brother, son of a blacksmith. He really didn’t get as much of a spotlight as he deserved.

Leon: The oldest of the knights, who served Uther before serving Arthur.

In the show, Mordred starts out as a Druid child who’s caught up in Uther’s anti-sorcery vendetta. Merlin, Morgana, and Arthur help him escape, but it all goes wrong.

In the fic, Mordred shows up a bit older, affiliated with Nimueh, but still looking like a sulky teen/twenty-something.

There’s also the Blood Guard, an order of warrior-priests skilled in magic and combat, sworn to protect the High Priests/High Priestesses of the Old Religion.

In the show, Cenred is a king who Morgause uses to get her hands on his army before she kills him. He’s played by Tom Ellis, who also plays Lucifer, which amuses me to no end. In my fic, he’s Morgause’s brand new husband.

The only other thing the fic really references is the Great Purge, which is the period in Uther’s reign when he went mad and ordered the execution of anyone even suspected of association with sorcery. In the fic, the Great Purge happened so long ago, it’s been forgotten by history -- but not by the Druids, who’ve kept the memory alive in their stories and warnings. They are, in fact, prepared to never let it happen again.

The fic (sadly not the show) also features two borzoi.

And references to sheep, including Merlin’s favorite, the Lincoln Longwool.