Aletheia

He swallowed again.

"Are you sure?" He looked into the knight's eyes, willing him to change his answer.

Bran had arrived at Camelot barely three months ago, and it was clear that he idolized the Crown Prince.

"Yes, sire." The young man sounded painfully earnest. "It was indeed sorcery; I saw it with my own eyes."

Arthur's lips were set in a thin line. How could Bran spend so much time under his command, and not realize how much Merlin meant to him?

"Very well." Arthur's voice was flat. "I will inform my father of this matter personally. You’re dismissed."

---

A/N: This was my first Merlin fic ever. *feels nostalgic* All the S1 feels~
And it won merlin100's Celebratory challenge =D.

[ DW | IJ | LJ ]

Finally got around to pimping this series on DW and IJ =)

I'll keep you guys updated every time I write two or more new drabbles in this 'verse. So far the series consists of nine drabbles and two crack drabbles.

You can read them on DW (cupbearer) or on LJ. New readers, please do tell me what you think!

"The King's Bastard" (Uther AU gen, PG-13, 100 words)
"The Anniversary" (Uther & Merlin AU, PG, 100 words)
"The Cupbearer" (Merlin & Arthur AU, PG, 100 words)
"Shared Breath" (Merlin/Arthur pre-slash AU, PG-13, 100 words)
"Stranger" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG-13, 100 words)
"Lovers" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG-13, 100 words)
"A Constant Strain" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG-13, 100 words)
"The Mask" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG, 100 words)
"Forever" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG-13, 100 words)

Crack!Extras:

"The Half-Brother Plan" (cameos from Aziraphale & Crowley, PG, 100 words)
"Not an orphanage" (Uther, Arthur, Morgana AU, PG, 100 words)

[ DW | IJ ]

When Arthur was six, he faced down a dragon with a wooden sword.

The dragon (a monster as big as a mountain!) took one look at his toy sword and snorted.

"You don't scare me, dragon! Knights always kill the monsters in the end!"

"Prince Arthur Pendragon," the dragon said, as if Arthur had not spoken. "The world will kill and eat you. But not if you eat the heart of the world first."

Arthur frowned. The dragon wasn’t following the storyline.

"Two golden children sharing one destiny."

In the morning, he would think that it was all a dream.

---

Answers merlin100's sword prompt & writing_game's exasperating prompt
The dragon's prophecy is inspired by Sylvia Plath's poem "Mary's Song" ("O golden child the world will kill and eat.")

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

“A prince’s favour is a precious commodity,” his father once told him before taking his favourite horse away.

Arthur had taken the lesson to heart, doling out equal camaraderie to noblemen’s sons and equal flattery to their daughters.

Except he had slipped horribly—over Merlin, of all people—and it was no use to protest that he’s mine or you gave him to me, because he had not forgotten that Apple was a present when he turned seven.

His father had no rights on his manservant (his friend, his favourite), and still he left marks of possession on Merlin’s skin.

---

Companion drabble/remix of sophinisba's "Keep Your Head Down" for remixthedrabble.
Audienced by snakeling.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

"I shouldn't have kissed you."

"Sorry?"

"I'm sometimes bad at receiving other people's signals. Not as bad as you, obviously—"

Merlin gave Gwen a confused little smile.

"And with what you said about Prince Arthur last night, I realized you only feel that way for one man in particular."

He opened his mouth to ask What way?, but Gwen went on, "I'm glad we can be friends."

She was looking at him with a painfully earnest expression, and he couldn't bring himself to correct her—that this was not the secret that he was keeping from her.

"...Thank you."

---

Remixed from sophinisba's "Just Friends" for remixthedrabble.
Beta-ed by roflolmaomg and snakeling.

Bonus crack gag reel: ( I wanted to do a plot twist for the remix, but the plot refused to budge. )

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

Of all the barely legal men out there, why did he fixate on the headmaster’s son?

Arthur was a good student who didn’t give the staff any trouble. Except for his Literature teacher.

On Tuesdays, Merlin always wore long jackets, because Arthur would be right there with his pouty lips and pen-biting.

Today, Arthur had stayed behind and ambushed Merlin with a kiss. Of course, the headmaster just happened to wander by.

Lifting guilty hands from Arthur’s shoulders—to push him away, not clutch him closer—Merlin contemplated throwing himself out the midget-sized window.

“What is the meaning of this?”

---

Answers merlin_flashfic's Alternate Universe challenge.
Audienced by oconel.
ayes_sid gave me the prompt: Merlin/Arthur, Uther finds out and there's no way out for Merlin. She didn’t say I can’t write a ModernDay!AU, so =P

---

In other news, people should go check out cliche_bingo, a multi-fandom challenge (no deadline, min. 500 words for fic, you can do recs/fanarts/icons instead, etc.) Will make a proper pimping post later, although they really don't need it.

[LJ | IJ | DW ]

( The Aftermath (implied Merlin/Arthur, PG-13 for gore & implied violence) )

Answers merlin_flashfic's Nightmares and monsters challenge and merlin100's dance prompt.

---

1. What Dreams by suaine, PG
Summary: There was always a price. The balance of nature was transactional - one thing of a certain value required the sacrifice of equal value given up by the one who asked.

But Arthur never finished those thoughts, kept all of his heart locked up tight. Merlin knew what he was going to say anyway, knew of the way Arthur kept looking over his shoulder when he thought no one was watching. Arthur had nightmares, dreams of a world without him in it, all the more terrible for their warmth and muted beauty, hitting like a physical blow when he woke up.

2. merlin_flashfic's AU challenge will run until 22.00BST on Saturday the 13 June.

3. In lieu of #2, please answer this poll on AU Merlin fics =)

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

First Time (Merlin/Arthur drabble, PG-13)

The first time Merlin kissed Arthur, they were standing on an ocean of grass.

Merlin trembled a little, and the kiss remained chaste until Arthur pulled at his stupid scarf—trust Merlin to be wearing a scarf on a glorious summer day—and plundered Merlin's lips.

The grass was heavy with dew, and later Arthur would find mud dotting the back of his jeans. But right this moment he could only listen to the tiny sounds Merlin made at the back of his throat.

The first time Arthur kissed Merlin, just two nights ago, he had thought Merlin was asleep.

***

Answers merlin100's Ocean prompt and writing_game's Scarf, Kiss prompt

( *** )
Extracurricular Service (implied Merlin/Arthur, PG-13 for suggestiveness)

"Well, this is awkward," Merlin said from his kneeling position on the floor.

Gwen let out a helpless giggle behind her hand. Lancelot, ever the gentlemanly knight, kept his eyes on Merlin's face. He was favoring his left ankle, Merlin noted. A sprain from training exercises, perhaps.

Arthur, red-faced and flustered, pulled on his long red tunic. "You're giving them the wrong idea!"

"Right, of course," Merlin said distractedly. "I wasn't performing any...extracurricular service. I was merely giving the king a physical examination."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?" Gwen said with a smirk worthy of Morgana.

***

Answers merlin100's Awkward prompt and writing_game's Kneel prompt.

[ IJ | DW ]

( Arthur/Merlin, reincarnation, one time they get re-born as brothers. )

---

A/N: Answers kinkme_merlin's prompt: Arthur/Merlin, reincarnation, one time they get re-born as brothers.
Also answers writing_game Cupid Undone prompt and merlin100's Awkward prompt.

If someone wants to make this long and pr0ny, be my guest. *beams*

One of these days I'll write canon incest. And by that I mean Arthur/Morgana, not Uther/Arthur =P Although Igraine/Tristan has potentials.

ETA: derryere wrote an awesome EPIC based on this teeny drabble:
at least it would seem that we don't | M/A AU | NC17 | ~15,8K

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

In which Arthur stole Merlin's food, watched his DVD, took him out to a boring party and manoeuvred him to bed (to sleep).

★ All-in-one beta & Britpicker: lilithilien ♥
☆ The first version won third place at armer_gayms' Bro Code challenge.

☆ 555 words. Or 731. It's all relative.
★ Borrowed the varying flashfic length from b_hallward's Increments (Merlin/Arthur)--am not the genius that came up with it. The 5, 10, 20, ..., 100 words structure fits what I have in mind, didn't mean to steal ^^;;

---

( In which Arthur stole Merlin's food, watched his DVD, took him out to a boring party and manoeuvred him to bed (to sleep). )

---

<-- Merlin's pyjamas Arthur's Arsenal shirt. Please credit if taking, etc.

Rambling A/N of sorts:
There's a funny story about this fic. ( Read more... )

[ LJ | AO3 | DW ]

Sloth & Pride are companion drabbles. Everything else stands on its own. I'm not cool enough to make all seven drabbles related, sadly.
I want to do another sins set in the future (with different characters & prefferrably an interconnected storyline) because these ones come across as sympathetic & rather tame.

*******

"Gluttony" - Gaius, G
( Gaius grew up in a small village where going hungry during lean winters was a fact of life. )

"Wrath" - Uther, Igraine, G
( Given time, perhaps his queen could have tempered his iron grip )

"Envy" - Morgana, PG
( If only she could trade her visions )

"Sloth" - Merlin, Arthur, G
( If he had polished Arthur's armour by hand, this wouldn't have happened. )

"Pride" - Arthur, Merlin, G
( Arthur had always prided himself of his judgment. )

"Lust" - Lancelot/Gwen, Arthur, PG-13
( The first time it happened, they were young and carefree in love. )

"Greed" - Mordred, Arthur, G
( 'Your precious prince, now grown old to be a pitiful king.' )

ETA 07/06/10: dreaming_athena podficced my Seven Deadly Sins drabble series here =DDD [ @ Audiofic Archive
1. Is there a Merlin LDWS comm. somewhere? We have Merlin tweetfic comm., there should be a Merlin LDWS, yeah?
LJ, IJ, DW, doesn't matter.

2. Also, LDWS comm.s, why the high upper limit? 499-word = flopsy, not a drabble. And 1K words = ficlet, not a drabble.
This is what modding a drabble community get you, you turn into a purist without realizing it =P

3. You know what Merlin pastiche hasn't been done yet? Merlin/FMA. So, Merlin characters in an FMA-like world.
Consider this: magic ~ balance // alchemy ~ equivalent exchange.

Merlin saves Arthur's life but Something Goes Horribly Wrong. Arthur comes back to life, but now he's caught in a never-ending loop of Saving the Day and Dying a Bloody, Tragic Death at a Terribly Young Age.
After the however many times Merlin had Arthur dying in his arms, Merlin swears to break the circle. But what does Merlin have left to offer up in exchange (and not having Arthur die on him again?)

Depressing plotbunny is depressing.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

"I saw him first!" Merlin protested.

"He smiled at me!"

"No way is someone that gorgeous straight."

"Contrary to what you believe, Merlin, people can be attracted to both genders."

"Uh-huh, they’re called Closet Cases," he said with a straight face. "Or, Morgana-is-just-a-roommate-nothing-happened-Merlin."

Predictably, Gwen smacked his arm.

"Oh God, he's coming over here. What do I do?" Gwen hid her face behind a cupped hand.

"Did you change your mind? Can I have him?"

"Merlin!" Gwen couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll keep his blond friend distracted; you go and dazzle him." Merlin slid down his bar stool. "Good luck!"

---

A/N: Yep, you weren't imagining the implied Gwen/Lancelot, implied Merlin/Arthur, and implied past Gwen/Morgana. What can I say? They're all so pretty =D

Answers merlin100's friendship prompt & writing_game's truce prompt.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]