#magic-prejudice

Explanation:

I absolutely love the BBC show Merlin, it's sooo good. Rewatching it, however, and catching all those little hints about the Great Purge and the events leading up to and during it, I started wondering about all the other kingdoms mentioned in the show and why they were so anti-magic.

As far as I'm aware, the Great Purge started after Uther asked Nimueh for magical help to conceive an heir since the queen was barren. She told him the price would be a life so there would be balance, but he didn't understand or she didn't clarify that it was his wife who would die from this magic. Feeling tricked, he declared and began to see magic as evil and, thus, started the Great Purge. Up to this time magic supposedly had been free and plentiful among the people with many of the older members of the kingdom once having it or been close to someone who used it (i.e Gaius and all his old friends).

Because the Great Purge had essentially been started on a personal vendetta, I wondered how the other kingdoms were convinced to partake in this (for all intents and purposes) brutal and bloody genocide. Did they already hate magic and Uther was the hold out or did he have to convince them to continue the Purge in their own lands (I can't imagine it was easy to convince a ruler he needed to slaughter his own people)?

Whatever the case, I can't imagine there still aren't one or two (or several) kingdoms that still allow magic and are prosperous (i.e. not Cenred's kingdom), whether they hide this freedom or not. Or at the very least, there are many, many magical sympathizers in high places all around Albion.

Additionally, we all know Cenred is a ruthless and, quite frankly terrible, king so I also find it hard to believe that no one has ever tried to revolt or overthrow him. And in a land where magic is not illegal in the least, it would have a fairly decent chance of success (again: totally inept ruler, probably couldn't defend against an attack by his own people very well).

Prompt:

Cenred's kingdom is overthrown and under new leadership: a young (like 16 young, an actual child compared to other rulers), brazen queen who uses magic like it's second nature (it is). She is talented in magic (can be very or moderate, but does possess a good grasp on it) and terrifyingly cunning and smart. Having taken over the kingdom in a successful peasant revolt she led, she goes about fixing the problems of the kingdom in an often roundabout but very effective manner until she comes to the issue of foreign relations. Once she stabilizes the economy and leadership enough that it is no longer on the brink of collapse (as it was under Cenred's rule), she reaches out to other kingdoms and offers an alliance, especially the ones Cenred was on poor terms with before. The biggest of these is (you guessed it): Camelot.

Things to Include/Address:

- Can be during Uther's reign or Arthur's (I think Uther would be more fun, personally, just because you'd get to describe his reactions to this bull-headed queen who wants peace but practices magic (I mean he's so stubborn but tries to be good, I feel like it'd be hilarious to see the interactions)

- If you do Arthur's you can just pretend that Lot doesn't exist or that he was overthrown instead

- All of Camelot is soo confused when they get word of the revolt and the new leadership and think it must be false (no mere girl (not even a woman) could lead a revolt and a country) and are very surprised by the offer of peace and the Queen herself OR they don't hear about it at all and are super confused when the letter for a peace treaty comes in, followed by a young girl they've never heard of

- The Queen recognizes Merlin as Emrys and is very confused and slightly (really) amused at him being a servant in a kingdom that states that magic is illegal

- If he has to serve her during a banquet or something it would be fun to see her having a mental conversation with him and not showing it at all (keeping coversation up with the other guests/king, eating and drinking, smiling, etc) while he attempts not to react or spill anything while she says some really funny or sarcastic things/commentary on the other guests/etc (I imagine her to have a really dry, sarcastic wit and sense of humor (so not stupid, childish jokes))

- You could also do that she recognizes him because she is from Ealdor (which was in Cenred's kingdom, remember) and he babysat her or something when she was little

- During the peace talks they get through the no fighting each other/trade/financial/etc and Uther/Arthur brings up magic and the extradition of sorcerers/aid in hunting them/what punishment they prefer (ex: beheading or the pyre or an arrow, etc) and she gets indignant and cooly angry (again I see her as very controlled and logical) stating something like "I think there has been a misunderstanding. I do not intend to make magic illegal in my kingdom; it shall stay free as it always has been there. In fact, I practice magic myself." and while everyone is in shock and the guards are called to arrest her, etc she raises her hands "However, in accordance with your laws and respect to you and your people, I have not practiced magic since I stepped a single foot over the border of your kingdom, nor have I brought any magical items with me. What happens in my own kingdom, though, is, quite frankly, not your concern nor right to punish." and basically just (civilly and calmly) rips them to shreds

- No one knows how to deal with her and alternate between expecting her to be super ignorant of everything (because she was a commoner and half of them can't even read much less know proper etiquette) and being so surprised when she acts with all the grace of a natural born queen and even knows more than them about several topics AND forgetting that she was, in fact, a commoner at one point and is, thus, very independent and hardworking and knows how to do things all the knights and kings don't and, while she knows all the proper formalities, doesn't much care if someone (like the serving staff or something accidentally) forgoes those formalities (basically they're so surprised by how down to earth and chill she can be)

*The point of this prompt was basically to see Camelot (especially its royalty) struggling with the idea that all magic is evil, but not having jurisdiction in other countries and wanting peace (ie: they could excuse fighting magic in Cenred’s kingdom before because he was an evil and terrible ruler, but now they have no excuse and aren’t sure what to do because they don’t want to cooperate with a sorcerer at first but don’t want to rashly declare war either)