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Merlin Fic: Snow White's Revenge {Happy Halloween!}
Title: Snow White’s Revenge (1/1)
Author: dk323
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): dark!Merlin, murder, mind control
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, OC
Word Count: 3,708
Disclaimer: The show Merlin is property of the BBC.
Spoilers: 4x04 (the Aithusa episode)
Summary: Merlin turns against Arthur because of a mysterious woman’s desire to avenge her son’s death at the hands of Arthur. Only Arthur can get Merlin back to his old self.
But one mystery may never be solved. How can Arthur be accused of a murder that he never remembered committing? Only time will tell…
Author’s Note: For glenien’s prompt ~ Dark!Dark!Dark!Merlin. Merlin is possessed and only Arthur can get him back.
~ * ~
“If you want to turn me against Merlin because he has magic, then you’ll fail. I’ve known for months now. I’ve lifted the ban on magic not long ago, so I could understand the news not reaching you yet. But I can guarantee you that Camelot is a kingdom friendly to magic users. As King, I beseech you to let the both of us go. Or at least allow Merlin to leave--” Arthur asked of the older woman, hoping she’d release them.
The woman had spelled Merlin into a deep sleep. The both of them were magically bound to their chairs while the woman remained standing. She looked at Arthur as if he were a nasty pest. While Merlin was unaware of what was going on around him in this cottage, Arthur had the misfortune of trying to sway this witch woman to let them leave.
“I have no intention of doing as you say: turning you against Merlin,” she assured him, but Arthur didn’t feel all that reassured. Her tone sounded false almost cold as she spoke to him.
Arthur would admit that he was unsettled by the woman’s appearance. Her eyes were a glowing blue and her hair was as white as untouched snow. He had the distinct impression that she had been born with white hair. She only looked middle-aged. In Arthur’s opinion, she was far too young to have her hair grey and turn white due to old age.
The witch wore a deep blue traveling cloak over her light dress and she appeared to be fond of the bluebird necklace adorning her neck. She frequently touched the bluebird pendant, rubbing it between her fingers.
“What do you want then? I’ll give you anything you want if you let me and Merlin leave unharmed. If it’s gold you’re asking for--” Arthur ventured, but the witch interrupted him.
“No. What I want is for you to suffer,” The woman informed him resolutely, a fire in her words. “I’m disappointed that the great King Arthur doesn’t wish to know my name.”
“What does it matter?” Arthur said despondently. She possessed magic and had just confessed that she wanted him to suffer. She had the upper hand and Arthur didn’t see himself living very long if this witch had her last word.
The witch smiled viciously at him. She looked quite proud of herself for having Arthur bound before her. “Know your enemies, isn’t that how it goes?” She asked, not expecting Arthur to answer her. “My name is Snow White, a name I could never forget since I was born with white hair. I have been Snow White for as long as I can remember,” she explained to him, confirming his suspicion that her white hair was her original hair color. “Maybe under other circumstances, I would have enjoyed becoming acquainted with you, Arthur Pendragon, but that is not today. You shall get what you deserve for murdering my son,” she declared fiercely, her blue eyes blazing with intent.
“Your son…?” Arthur uttered in confusion. “What son? I’m sorry – I don’t know who you’re talking about. I’ve killed others in battle. If one of those men was your son, then you understand – the nature of battle is to kill or be killed… I can give you compensation, anything to help make up for your loss. It’s not much, but it’s the least I can do.”
“It was not during a common, bloody battle,” she refuted him. “It was cold-blooded murder, senseless and unthinkable. No words you say will change my mind,” she told him firmly.
“What are you going to do?” Arthur asked. He wondered how she could accuse him of such a murder. He never saw himself as a person who would murder without good reason. The thought worried him, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. He needed to get himself and Merlin far away from this vengeful woman.
“You said that I couldn’t turn you against Merlin,” Snow White reminded him. “You see, I plan to do the opposite.”
“What?” Arthur said, not quite following.
Snow White glared at him and she turned sharply toward the still heavily sedated Merlin. She reached out her hand toward Merlin and began to say an incantation.
Arthur understood what she had meant now. Merlin would turn against him –
“No!” Arthur exclaimed in desperation. He tried desperately to shift his chair, but it was rooted to the spot. His arms rested uselessly on the chair arms, magically bound with enchanted rope. He could do nothing but watch. “Stop this! Leave Merlin alone. Do what you want with me. You said your issue was with me. Don’t bring Merlin into this. Please. Don’t,” he pleaded of Snow White.
The witch paused in her incantation to answer him, “This is what will hurt you, what will make you suffer, Your Majesty. You and Merlin share a close bond. I am not blind. I know that you will hurt more if Merlin hates you than if a blade pierced your heart,” she said to him in a sure and confident tone.
And Arthur hated that her conclusion was right. She knew him too well even though she shouldn’t have known him at all. Did others see this side of him as well? Did Arthur really leave himself this vulnerable that it was so obvious what his feelings toward Merlin were?
If that was true, then Arthur felt awful that he was now putting Merlin in danger because his enemies could see right through him, could see that he loved Merlin like no other.
Arthur watched as Snow White finished her incantation, Merlin stirring a little in his deep slumber, but he didn’t awake.
The witch graced him with a smile that he could only see as wishing him ill will. She transformed into a bluebird – the bluebird necklace suddenly becoming more understandable – and she flew out of one of the cottage windows.
A few moments after she had departed, Arthur found that he could stand up as his magical bonds didn’t hold him anymore. Snow White must have lifted the spell keeping him bound.
Arthur went to Merlin to check how he was doing. He was beginning to wake up. Arthur wondered if he should get away as far as he could. If Snow White had truly turned Merlin against him, then he would use his magic against Arthur. He’d stand no chance competing with Merlin’s powerful magic.
But still, his love for Merlin made him stay. Maybe he could get through to him – undoing the witch’s spell before it could truly begin?
“Merlin?” Arthur asked a bit uneasily. Unable to resist, he touched Merlin’s cheek and tucked away a stray dark lock of hair behind his ear idly.
When Merlin opened his eyes, Arthur stepped back in alarm. Merlin’s blue eyes had shifted in color to a solid black, the entry to the dark abyss Arthur felt. Fortunately, it was a momentary change and the black returned to Merlin’s usual blue.
But Arthur could tell that this Merlin wasn’t the same one he had grown to love. When he set his gaze upon Arthur, he gave him a glare full of such hate and disgust that Arthur couldn’t stand to look at him. He couldn’t bear to see that sort of look from Merlin directed at him.
“All that time I worked for you, you treated me like an idiot,” Merlin accused of him bitterly. He looked ready to attack Arthur. “How could I have let myself stoop to such a level? When I had such magic at my disposal, and I was serving a magic-hating bastard. I won’t be making that mistake again. You will pay,” he promised Arthur as viciously as a whip lashing his back.
“You can fight this, Merlin. This isn’t you,” Arthur said as strongly as he could in hopes of Merlin breaking the enchantment.
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear your voice,” Merlin said in irritation.
He stood up, the magical bonds easily coming loose as Arthur’s had done.
Merlin closed his fist and Arthur fell to his knees clutching at his throat. Merlin was choking him.
“I’ve accepted--” Arthur tried to get out the words despite his airway being constricted. “—your magic. It’s not…the…issue.”
“Does that take away all those years you stood by your father, witnessing execution after execution of those who possessed magic without a word against your father? How am I supposed to know that you won’t go back on your word? That the years of growing up despising magic and thinking it evil will turn you against magic once again? How long will this game of accepting magic last, Arthur? How long?” He yelled at Arthur, demanding an answer.
“I can’t—breathe--” Arthur whispered, hoping that Merlin would stop choking him for a moment. At least so he could speak properly.
Merlin smirked and surprisingly, he stopped choking Arthur. But the relief was short-lived as Arthur felt intense sharp pains all over his body. Lying dejectedly on the ground, he grit his teeth so he could resist the urge to scream out at the terrible pain.
It was like sharp needles being shot everywhere throughout his body. Arthur never knew real agony until that moment. He wished it would end and that he’d never experience this pain ever again. If he did, then he would pray for death.
“Let me tell you when your game will end,” Merlin said in a deceptively pleasant voice. “It will end when I say so. You’re not the King anymore.”
“Merlin, please…” Arthur said so quietly that he wasn’t sure whether or not he’d simply thought the words or spoken them out loud.
“You’re pathetic,” Merlin declared, rolling his eyes at him.
Upon Merlin’s incantation, Arthur fell asleep though the unbearable pain followed him into his nightmares.
~ * ~
Arthur woke up with a nasty headache in the dungeons of Camelot. Fortunately, the overwhelming pain had subsided and all he felt was sore. He doubted he had the energy to stand though.
Footsteps sounded in the dungeons and Arthur looked up to find Merlin approaching his cell. Arthur didn’t miss the golden crown on Merlin’s head, the clothing fit for a King, and the rings, bracelets and necklace finishing off Merlin’s new appearance.
Arthur thought Merlin looked more like a Druid king than anything else. He certainly made quick work of taking over Camelot.
Merlin stopped in front of Arthur’s cell, his long fingers wrapping around the bars of the confinement. He smiled at him darkly. “Well, well, well. How the mighty have fallen. Enjoying your stay?” Merlin asked him with a smirk.
“What did you do?” Arthur wanted to know, though he quietly was already considering a plan to return Merlin to his normal self. There had to be a way. As he didn’t possess magic himself, Arthur had to hope that a non-magic solution was possible.
“Such wasted potential within me. To not use it until now – it’s a crime,” Merlin remarked sadly. He then explained to Arthur, “I bent everyone to my will. It was so easy that it may just be the dullest spell I’ve ever done. I admit I’m getting bored now with everyone doing everything I tell them to, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay.”
He tapped the bars of Arthur’s cell, looking thoughtful.
“Why don’t you do the same for me then? Bend me to your will?” Arthur asked him. A moment later, he wished he had kept quiet. Did he really want to be under the control of someone who hated him? Who knew what Merlin would do if he would have Arthur under his full authority?
Merlin laughed coldly. “Oh, you would like that, would you? The dark sorcerer and his prisoner. Perfect,” he said with almost childlike delight. “But no, I like you like this. Completely miserable and stuck here until you die. No one will save you because they all answer to me now. Although here’s an interesting twist: Gwen seems to have disappeared. I guess she’s smarter than you and ran before I could get to her. How embarrassing for you,” Merlin told him in amusement.
While Arthur was relieved that at least Gwen was safe for now, he didn’t doubt that Merlin could easily find her with his magic if he chose to.
Arthur had to act soon. “What are you going to do next? You have everyone under your control…is that all you plan to do?” He wondered.
Merlin frowned. “You think I’m just going to tell you my plans?”
“What does it matter?” Arthur countered, pretending to sound hopeless. “You can kill me whenever you like and there’s nothing I can do stuck here. I’m just curious. That’s all.”
“You annoy me so very much,” Merlin confided in him tersely. Arthur could hear the hate, the frustration underlying Merlin’s words. He could tell that Merlin truly meant it – or maybe the dark spell Snow White put him under was affecting Merlin particularly deeply.
Arthur only looked at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.
Merlin’s fingers tightened their hold on the bars. He surveyed Arthur as if searching for trickery in his blue eyes.
“All right. I’ll tell you. I’m going to execute everyone who doesn’t possess magic. Rid this land of all the diseased people who don’t have magic. I thought the irony of doing the opposite of what your arsehole father did is poetic, don’t you think?” Merlin asked of him.
Setting aside his admonishment for Merlin’s insult to his father, Arthur jumped to give his suggestion. “Kill me first then.”
Merlin stared at him in surprise. “So eager to die, aren’t you? You know it won’t matter who gets the honour of being the first to be executed. Everyone serves me and will gladly die in my name. Seeing you die first will mean nothing.”
“It’ll be more satisfying for you to see me die as you hate me so much. You said yourself that you were bored with everyone agreeing with you. Witnessing my execution could just be the excitement you want,” Arthur reasoned with him.
Merlin’s eyes narrowed. “You’re being all too happy to convince me to kill you. Watch yourself, Arthur. I’m beginning to think you’re up to something,” Merlin said suspiciously.
“I have no magic. No allies. I can’t do anything to thwart you,” Arthur reminded him reasonably. “I’m only giving you an offer. Don’t deny you like the idea.”
“Fine. It doesn’t matter to me. If you’re so willing to throw yourself off the cliff, then who am I to stop that?” Merlin asked with a smile.
“Good. I’m glad you agree,” Arthur said without feeling.
Merlin told him that his execution would take place at first light the next day. Then he left the dungeons after throwing a cup of water at Arthur when he had told him he was thirsty.
~ * ~
Arthur was tied to the pyre by Gwaine and Leon, the blankness in their faces unnerving him. It was as if Merlin’s spell leeched the individuality from each person who had been affected.
Elyan and Percival carried lit torches that they threw at the pile of wood surrounding Arthur.
Merlin stood a few feet away and not at the balcony, which would have distanced him from the execution. Arthur thought that maybe Merlin believed he would gain more satisfaction from Arthur’s death if he could see it from a closer view.
Arthur set his gaze directly on Merlin, capturing his full attention. He hoped he could get through to Merlin. He had to. Wouldn’t seeing him being put to death be the catalyst that Merlin needed to see the truth?
“Merlin, I still love you,” Arthur said as loudly and clearly as he was able through the noise of the flames and the cough-inducing smoke. The flames were coming uncomfortably close. “I know you. This isn’t you. Look at me and tell me that you believe this is really you.”
Outraged, Merlin demanded that he not say another word. But he didn’t cast a spell to silence Arthur for good.
Arthur continued to speak, a small flicker of hope growing within him. “You and me, Merlin. It’s not supposed to end like this. Deep down you know that. Remember Aithusa. If he were here, what do you think he’d say?” Arthur asked him and then he succumbed to a coughing fit.
Arthur hoped reminding him of Aithusa, the white dragon Merlin was so fond of and who symbolized a golden future for Merlin and himself building Albion together, would be just the push Merlin needed.
“Shut up! Why can’t you shut up?!” Merlin yelled at him in frustration.
Arthur could hear the indecision in Merlin’s tone. He could see a stricken, alarmed expression pass over his pale face for a moment. Just a moment, but it was enough.
Arthur noticed the flames that should have been burning him alive by now had settled back down.
“Shut up. I hate you,” Merlin said thickly, but his words were losing their heat. He covered his face with his hands.
A shower of cool rain started to fall, dousing the dying fire thoroughly. Merlin collapsed in the courtyard, his face still covered, and without words to express how he was feeling.
“Merlin--” Arthur said quietly.
Arthur felt the rope keeping him bound to the pole loosen. He climbed down from the pyre and went to Merlin, sitting beside him and embracing the sorcerer in his arms.
Merlin only looked at him, an apology in his watery blue eyes. The spell was broken. No lives were lost and for that, Arthur was grateful. He knew that Merlin would never forgive himself if he’d kill others in cold blood. At least Arthur saved him from that guilt.
“Merlin, it’ll be all right,” Arthur whispered to him, trying to reassure him.
“I don’t know – I didn’t feel like myself… Arthur--” Merlin uttered, confused. “But then you reminded me of Aithusa…and how could I not remember?” Merlin wondered in frustration.
“What matters is that you’re all right. I may not have magic, but I’ll still do all that I can to save you as I know you would do the same for me.”
Merlin gave him a small, appreciative smile. “I love you,” he told him softly what Arthur already knew.
Arthur kissed him in reply. Then he told Merlin that it would be a good idea to lift the control spell from everyone he had put it on. Merlin agreed and did as Arthur had directed.
And in the relief of getting Merlin back, Arthur forgot all about Snow White’s accusation of him killing her son.
Whoever her son was.
~ * ~
~ Centuries later ~
Five years after Arthur was reborn, he met a black-haired boy his age one day at the park. Arthur didn’t know why the boy felt more familiar than he should be for a stranger, but Arthur didn’t think anything of it. He was young after all and was more interested in playing with his knight figurines and their toy steeds in the sandbox.
Arthur couldn’t help but stare at the boy’s mother who sat at the bench, fussing like a mother did with the boy. Her hair was as white as snow. Arthur had never seen anything like it. He thought only old people with wrinkly skin had white hair, but this woman had smooth, young skin. She had a bluebird necklace at her neck. Arthur thought the necklace was pretty. A baby carriage was by the mother.
So the black-haired boy had a younger sibling. Arthur hoped for the boy’s sake that it wasn’t a girl. Arthur’s older sister, Morgana, was the bane of his life. She always thought she held the right to tell him what to do because she was older. And besides that, she was weird too.
Arthur sometimes wished he was an only child.
The boy finally was able to escape his mother. He went to the sandbox Arthur was in and he grinned at Arthur as he sat down in the box.
“Hi! I’m Merlin. Who are you?” Merlin asked him.
Arthur looked at him suspiciously, unsettled by Merlin’s cheerful demeanor.
“My name’s Arthur,” He told him, ramming two of his play horses together accidentally.
“Oh. That’s cool. Merlin and Arthur. The legend,” Merlin said thoughtfully.
“I don’t believe in that stuff,” Arthur declared flatly, feeling very grown-up. His father would be proud.
“Sorry. I didn’t know,” Merlin apologized, unsure what to make of Arthur’s attitude.
Arthur felt bad for being a bit rude to the other boy. Pointing to the baby carriage, Arthur asked him, “Do you have a brother or sister? I have an older sister, Morgana, and she’s mean. Just to warn you that girls are bad.”
Merlin frowned, looking unhappy. “That’s my little sister, Elly. She’s very sweet. I love her. She’s not bad,” he said fiercely.
“Maybe not now, but--” Arthur tried to warn him, out of the goodness of his heart.
“Maybe it’s just your sister that’s the problem,” Merlin concluded. “You’re not nice. I’m going to find someone else to play with,” he declared and he stood up, ready to leave the sandbox.
But Arthur didn’t want Merlin to leave. He grabbed his hand to pull him back down.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I want you to stay,” Arthur asked of him earnestly. “Here,” he offered, handing him one of his horses. A black one.
Merlin looked uncertain for a moment before he decided to give Arthur another chance. He took the black horse Arthur gave to him, accepting the peace offering.
Arthur saw Merlin’s mother smile warmly at him. She had taken Elly out of the carriage and the baby was resting on her lap. When Merlin’s mother rubbed the necklace’s bluebird pendant between her fingers, Arthur felt like he had seen that done before. But then Merlin was speaking to him, and Arthur was more interested in playing with Merlin than anything else.
And they all lived happily ever after… for a time at least.
~ * ~
Elly is a reference to Ella/Cinderella because I can’t have Snow White be alone. :p
If you’re interested in who really kills Merlin…
For as happy of an ending as this fic would allow, let’s say, a few decades after reincarnated!Arthur and Merlin first meet, the reincarnated!Morgana magically disguised herself as Arthur and killed Merlin… and then she made sure to convince everyone (especially Merlin’s mother) that the actual Arthur killed Merlin. Arthur was too distraught over losing Merlin to try to clear his name. Anyway, no matter what he did, no one seemed to believe in his innocence.
And that left Merlin’s mother traveling back in time to get her revenge on Arthur for what he would do in the future. But I suppose in the end, it was truly Morgana’s revenge against Arthur and Merlin. Morgana sort of looks like Snow White, so it works…;)
Author: dk323
Rating: PG-13
Warning(s): dark!Merlin, murder, mind control
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, OC
Word Count: 3,708
Disclaimer: The show Merlin is property of the BBC.
Spoilers: 4x04 (the Aithusa episode)
Summary: Merlin turns against Arthur because of a mysterious woman’s desire to avenge her son’s death at the hands of Arthur. Only Arthur can get Merlin back to his old self.
But one mystery may never be solved. How can Arthur be accused of a murder that he never remembered committing? Only time will tell…
Author’s Note: For glenien’s prompt ~ Dark!Dark!Dark!Merlin. Merlin is possessed and only Arthur can get him back.
~ * ~
“If you want to turn me against Merlin because he has magic, then you’ll fail. I’ve known for months now. I’ve lifted the ban on magic not long ago, so I could understand the news not reaching you yet. But I can guarantee you that Camelot is a kingdom friendly to magic users. As King, I beseech you to let the both of us go. Or at least allow Merlin to leave--” Arthur asked of the older woman, hoping she’d release them.
The woman had spelled Merlin into a deep sleep. The both of them were magically bound to their chairs while the woman remained standing. She looked at Arthur as if he were a nasty pest. While Merlin was unaware of what was going on around him in this cottage, Arthur had the misfortune of trying to sway this witch woman to let them leave.
“I have no intention of doing as you say: turning you against Merlin,” she assured him, but Arthur didn’t feel all that reassured. Her tone sounded false almost cold as she spoke to him.
Arthur would admit that he was unsettled by the woman’s appearance. Her eyes were a glowing blue and her hair was as white as untouched snow. He had the distinct impression that she had been born with white hair. She only looked middle-aged. In Arthur’s opinion, she was far too young to have her hair grey and turn white due to old age.
The witch wore a deep blue traveling cloak over her light dress and she appeared to be fond of the bluebird necklace adorning her neck. She frequently touched the bluebird pendant, rubbing it between her fingers.
“What do you want then? I’ll give you anything you want if you let me and Merlin leave unharmed. If it’s gold you’re asking for--” Arthur ventured, but the witch interrupted him.
“No. What I want is for you to suffer,” The woman informed him resolutely, a fire in her words. “I’m disappointed that the great King Arthur doesn’t wish to know my name.”
“What does it matter?” Arthur said despondently. She possessed magic and had just confessed that she wanted him to suffer. She had the upper hand and Arthur didn’t see himself living very long if this witch had her last word.
The witch smiled viciously at him. She looked quite proud of herself for having Arthur bound before her. “Know your enemies, isn’t that how it goes?” She asked, not expecting Arthur to answer her. “My name is Snow White, a name I could never forget since I was born with white hair. I have been Snow White for as long as I can remember,” she explained to him, confirming his suspicion that her white hair was her original hair color. “Maybe under other circumstances, I would have enjoyed becoming acquainted with you, Arthur Pendragon, but that is not today. You shall get what you deserve for murdering my son,” she declared fiercely, her blue eyes blazing with intent.
“Your son…?” Arthur uttered in confusion. “What son? I’m sorry – I don’t know who you’re talking about. I’ve killed others in battle. If one of those men was your son, then you understand – the nature of battle is to kill or be killed… I can give you compensation, anything to help make up for your loss. It’s not much, but it’s the least I can do.”
“It was not during a common, bloody battle,” she refuted him. “It was cold-blooded murder, senseless and unthinkable. No words you say will change my mind,” she told him firmly.
“What are you going to do?” Arthur asked. He wondered how she could accuse him of such a murder. He never saw himself as a person who would murder without good reason. The thought worried him, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. He needed to get himself and Merlin far away from this vengeful woman.
“You said that I couldn’t turn you against Merlin,” Snow White reminded him. “You see, I plan to do the opposite.”
“What?” Arthur said, not quite following.
Snow White glared at him and she turned sharply toward the still heavily sedated Merlin. She reached out her hand toward Merlin and began to say an incantation.
Arthur understood what she had meant now. Merlin would turn against him –
“No!” Arthur exclaimed in desperation. He tried desperately to shift his chair, but it was rooted to the spot. His arms rested uselessly on the chair arms, magically bound with enchanted rope. He could do nothing but watch. “Stop this! Leave Merlin alone. Do what you want with me. You said your issue was with me. Don’t bring Merlin into this. Please. Don’t,” he pleaded of Snow White.
The witch paused in her incantation to answer him, “This is what will hurt you, what will make you suffer, Your Majesty. You and Merlin share a close bond. I am not blind. I know that you will hurt more if Merlin hates you than if a blade pierced your heart,” she said to him in a sure and confident tone.
And Arthur hated that her conclusion was right. She knew him too well even though she shouldn’t have known him at all. Did others see this side of him as well? Did Arthur really leave himself this vulnerable that it was so obvious what his feelings toward Merlin were?
If that was true, then Arthur felt awful that he was now putting Merlin in danger because his enemies could see right through him, could see that he loved Merlin like no other.
Arthur watched as Snow White finished her incantation, Merlin stirring a little in his deep slumber, but he didn’t awake.
The witch graced him with a smile that he could only see as wishing him ill will. She transformed into a bluebird – the bluebird necklace suddenly becoming more understandable – and she flew out of one of the cottage windows.
A few moments after she had departed, Arthur found that he could stand up as his magical bonds didn’t hold him anymore. Snow White must have lifted the spell keeping him bound.
Arthur went to Merlin to check how he was doing. He was beginning to wake up. Arthur wondered if he should get away as far as he could. If Snow White had truly turned Merlin against him, then he would use his magic against Arthur. He’d stand no chance competing with Merlin’s powerful magic.
But still, his love for Merlin made him stay. Maybe he could get through to him – undoing the witch’s spell before it could truly begin?
“Merlin?” Arthur asked a bit uneasily. Unable to resist, he touched Merlin’s cheek and tucked away a stray dark lock of hair behind his ear idly.
When Merlin opened his eyes, Arthur stepped back in alarm. Merlin’s blue eyes had shifted in color to a solid black, the entry to the dark abyss Arthur felt. Fortunately, it was a momentary change and the black returned to Merlin’s usual blue.
But Arthur could tell that this Merlin wasn’t the same one he had grown to love. When he set his gaze upon Arthur, he gave him a glare full of such hate and disgust that Arthur couldn’t stand to look at him. He couldn’t bear to see that sort of look from Merlin directed at him.
“All that time I worked for you, you treated me like an idiot,” Merlin accused of him bitterly. He looked ready to attack Arthur. “How could I have let myself stoop to such a level? When I had such magic at my disposal, and I was serving a magic-hating bastard. I won’t be making that mistake again. You will pay,” he promised Arthur as viciously as a whip lashing his back.
“You can fight this, Merlin. This isn’t you,” Arthur said as strongly as he could in hopes of Merlin breaking the enchantment.
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear your voice,” Merlin said in irritation.
He stood up, the magical bonds easily coming loose as Arthur’s had done.
Merlin closed his fist and Arthur fell to his knees clutching at his throat. Merlin was choking him.
“I’ve accepted--” Arthur tried to get out the words despite his airway being constricted. “—your magic. It’s not…the…issue.”
“Does that take away all those years you stood by your father, witnessing execution after execution of those who possessed magic without a word against your father? How am I supposed to know that you won’t go back on your word? That the years of growing up despising magic and thinking it evil will turn you against magic once again? How long will this game of accepting magic last, Arthur? How long?” He yelled at Arthur, demanding an answer.
“I can’t—breathe--” Arthur whispered, hoping that Merlin would stop choking him for a moment. At least so he could speak properly.
Merlin smirked and surprisingly, he stopped choking Arthur. But the relief was short-lived as Arthur felt intense sharp pains all over his body. Lying dejectedly on the ground, he grit his teeth so he could resist the urge to scream out at the terrible pain.
It was like sharp needles being shot everywhere throughout his body. Arthur never knew real agony until that moment. He wished it would end and that he’d never experience this pain ever again. If he did, then he would pray for death.
“Let me tell you when your game will end,” Merlin said in a deceptively pleasant voice. “It will end when I say so. You’re not the King anymore.”
“Merlin, please…” Arthur said so quietly that he wasn’t sure whether or not he’d simply thought the words or spoken them out loud.
“You’re pathetic,” Merlin declared, rolling his eyes at him.
Upon Merlin’s incantation, Arthur fell asleep though the unbearable pain followed him into his nightmares.
~ * ~
Arthur woke up with a nasty headache in the dungeons of Camelot. Fortunately, the overwhelming pain had subsided and all he felt was sore. He doubted he had the energy to stand though.
Footsteps sounded in the dungeons and Arthur looked up to find Merlin approaching his cell. Arthur didn’t miss the golden crown on Merlin’s head, the clothing fit for a King, and the rings, bracelets and necklace finishing off Merlin’s new appearance.
Arthur thought Merlin looked more like a Druid king than anything else. He certainly made quick work of taking over Camelot.
Merlin stopped in front of Arthur’s cell, his long fingers wrapping around the bars of the confinement. He smiled at him darkly. “Well, well, well. How the mighty have fallen. Enjoying your stay?” Merlin asked him with a smirk.
“What did you do?” Arthur wanted to know, though he quietly was already considering a plan to return Merlin to his normal self. There had to be a way. As he didn’t possess magic himself, Arthur had to hope that a non-magic solution was possible.
“Such wasted potential within me. To not use it until now – it’s a crime,” Merlin remarked sadly. He then explained to Arthur, “I bent everyone to my will. It was so easy that it may just be the dullest spell I’ve ever done. I admit I’m getting bored now with everyone doing everything I tell them to, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay.”
He tapped the bars of Arthur’s cell, looking thoughtful.
“Why don’t you do the same for me then? Bend me to your will?” Arthur asked him. A moment later, he wished he had kept quiet. Did he really want to be under the control of someone who hated him? Who knew what Merlin would do if he would have Arthur under his full authority?
Merlin laughed coldly. “Oh, you would like that, would you? The dark sorcerer and his prisoner. Perfect,” he said with almost childlike delight. “But no, I like you like this. Completely miserable and stuck here until you die. No one will save you because they all answer to me now. Although here’s an interesting twist: Gwen seems to have disappeared. I guess she’s smarter than you and ran before I could get to her. How embarrassing for you,” Merlin told him in amusement.
While Arthur was relieved that at least Gwen was safe for now, he didn’t doubt that Merlin could easily find her with his magic if he chose to.
Arthur had to act soon. “What are you going to do next? You have everyone under your control…is that all you plan to do?” He wondered.
Merlin frowned. “You think I’m just going to tell you my plans?”
“What does it matter?” Arthur countered, pretending to sound hopeless. “You can kill me whenever you like and there’s nothing I can do stuck here. I’m just curious. That’s all.”
“You annoy me so very much,” Merlin confided in him tersely. Arthur could hear the hate, the frustration underlying Merlin’s words. He could tell that Merlin truly meant it – or maybe the dark spell Snow White put him under was affecting Merlin particularly deeply.
Arthur only looked at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.
Merlin’s fingers tightened their hold on the bars. He surveyed Arthur as if searching for trickery in his blue eyes.
“All right. I’ll tell you. I’m going to execute everyone who doesn’t possess magic. Rid this land of all the diseased people who don’t have magic. I thought the irony of doing the opposite of what your arsehole father did is poetic, don’t you think?” Merlin asked of him.
Setting aside his admonishment for Merlin’s insult to his father, Arthur jumped to give his suggestion. “Kill me first then.”
Merlin stared at him in surprise. “So eager to die, aren’t you? You know it won’t matter who gets the honour of being the first to be executed. Everyone serves me and will gladly die in my name. Seeing you die first will mean nothing.”
“It’ll be more satisfying for you to see me die as you hate me so much. You said yourself that you were bored with everyone agreeing with you. Witnessing my execution could just be the excitement you want,” Arthur reasoned with him.
Merlin’s eyes narrowed. “You’re being all too happy to convince me to kill you. Watch yourself, Arthur. I’m beginning to think you’re up to something,” Merlin said suspiciously.
“I have no magic. No allies. I can’t do anything to thwart you,” Arthur reminded him reasonably. “I’m only giving you an offer. Don’t deny you like the idea.”
“Fine. It doesn’t matter to me. If you’re so willing to throw yourself off the cliff, then who am I to stop that?” Merlin asked with a smile.
“Good. I’m glad you agree,” Arthur said without feeling.
Merlin told him that his execution would take place at first light the next day. Then he left the dungeons after throwing a cup of water at Arthur when he had told him he was thirsty.
~ * ~
Arthur was tied to the pyre by Gwaine and Leon, the blankness in their faces unnerving him. It was as if Merlin’s spell leeched the individuality from each person who had been affected.
Elyan and Percival carried lit torches that they threw at the pile of wood surrounding Arthur.
Merlin stood a few feet away and not at the balcony, which would have distanced him from the execution. Arthur thought that maybe Merlin believed he would gain more satisfaction from Arthur’s death if he could see it from a closer view.
Arthur set his gaze directly on Merlin, capturing his full attention. He hoped he could get through to Merlin. He had to. Wouldn’t seeing him being put to death be the catalyst that Merlin needed to see the truth?
“Merlin, I still love you,” Arthur said as loudly and clearly as he was able through the noise of the flames and the cough-inducing smoke. The flames were coming uncomfortably close. “I know you. This isn’t you. Look at me and tell me that you believe this is really you.”
Outraged, Merlin demanded that he not say another word. But he didn’t cast a spell to silence Arthur for good.
Arthur continued to speak, a small flicker of hope growing within him. “You and me, Merlin. It’s not supposed to end like this. Deep down you know that. Remember Aithusa. If he were here, what do you think he’d say?” Arthur asked him and then he succumbed to a coughing fit.
Arthur hoped reminding him of Aithusa, the white dragon Merlin was so fond of and who symbolized a golden future for Merlin and himself building Albion together, would be just the push Merlin needed.
“Shut up! Why can’t you shut up?!” Merlin yelled at him in frustration.
Arthur could hear the indecision in Merlin’s tone. He could see a stricken, alarmed expression pass over his pale face for a moment. Just a moment, but it was enough.
Arthur noticed the flames that should have been burning him alive by now had settled back down.
“Shut up. I hate you,” Merlin said thickly, but his words were losing their heat. He covered his face with his hands.
A shower of cool rain started to fall, dousing the dying fire thoroughly. Merlin collapsed in the courtyard, his face still covered, and without words to express how he was feeling.
“Merlin--” Arthur said quietly.
Arthur felt the rope keeping him bound to the pole loosen. He climbed down from the pyre and went to Merlin, sitting beside him and embracing the sorcerer in his arms.
Merlin only looked at him, an apology in his watery blue eyes. The spell was broken. No lives were lost and for that, Arthur was grateful. He knew that Merlin would never forgive himself if he’d kill others in cold blood. At least Arthur saved him from that guilt.
“Merlin, it’ll be all right,” Arthur whispered to him, trying to reassure him.
“I don’t know – I didn’t feel like myself… Arthur--” Merlin uttered, confused. “But then you reminded me of Aithusa…and how could I not remember?” Merlin wondered in frustration.
“What matters is that you’re all right. I may not have magic, but I’ll still do all that I can to save you as I know you would do the same for me.”
Merlin gave him a small, appreciative smile. “I love you,” he told him softly what Arthur already knew.
Arthur kissed him in reply. Then he told Merlin that it would be a good idea to lift the control spell from everyone he had put it on. Merlin agreed and did as Arthur had directed.
And in the relief of getting Merlin back, Arthur forgot all about Snow White’s accusation of him killing her son.
Whoever her son was.
~ * ~
~ Centuries later ~
Five years after Arthur was reborn, he met a black-haired boy his age one day at the park. Arthur didn’t know why the boy felt more familiar than he should be for a stranger, but Arthur didn’t think anything of it. He was young after all and was more interested in playing with his knight figurines and their toy steeds in the sandbox.
Arthur couldn’t help but stare at the boy’s mother who sat at the bench, fussing like a mother did with the boy. Her hair was as white as snow. Arthur had never seen anything like it. He thought only old people with wrinkly skin had white hair, but this woman had smooth, young skin. She had a bluebird necklace at her neck. Arthur thought the necklace was pretty. A baby carriage was by the mother.
So the black-haired boy had a younger sibling. Arthur hoped for the boy’s sake that it wasn’t a girl. Arthur’s older sister, Morgana, was the bane of his life. She always thought she held the right to tell him what to do because she was older. And besides that, she was weird too.
Arthur sometimes wished he was an only child.
The boy finally was able to escape his mother. He went to the sandbox Arthur was in and he grinned at Arthur as he sat down in the box.
“Hi! I’m Merlin. Who are you?” Merlin asked him.
Arthur looked at him suspiciously, unsettled by Merlin’s cheerful demeanor.
“My name’s Arthur,” He told him, ramming two of his play horses together accidentally.
“Oh. That’s cool. Merlin and Arthur. The legend,” Merlin said thoughtfully.
“I don’t believe in that stuff,” Arthur declared flatly, feeling very grown-up. His father would be proud.
“Sorry. I didn’t know,” Merlin apologized, unsure what to make of Arthur’s attitude.
Arthur felt bad for being a bit rude to the other boy. Pointing to the baby carriage, Arthur asked him, “Do you have a brother or sister? I have an older sister, Morgana, and she’s mean. Just to warn you that girls are bad.”
Merlin frowned, looking unhappy. “That’s my little sister, Elly. She’s very sweet. I love her. She’s not bad,” he said fiercely.
“Maybe not now, but--” Arthur tried to warn him, out of the goodness of his heart.
“Maybe it’s just your sister that’s the problem,” Merlin concluded. “You’re not nice. I’m going to find someone else to play with,” he declared and he stood up, ready to leave the sandbox.
But Arthur didn’t want Merlin to leave. He grabbed his hand to pull him back down.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I want you to stay,” Arthur asked of him earnestly. “Here,” he offered, handing him one of his horses. A black one.
Merlin looked uncertain for a moment before he decided to give Arthur another chance. He took the black horse Arthur gave to him, accepting the peace offering.
Arthur saw Merlin’s mother smile warmly at him. She had taken Elly out of the carriage and the baby was resting on her lap. When Merlin’s mother rubbed the necklace’s bluebird pendant between her fingers, Arthur felt like he had seen that done before. But then Merlin was speaking to him, and Arthur was more interested in playing with Merlin than anything else.
And they all lived happily ever after… for a time at least.
~ * ~
Elly is a reference to Ella/Cinderella because I can’t have Snow White be alone. :p
If you’re interested in who really kills Merlin…
For as happy of an ending as this fic would allow, let’s say, a few decades after reincarnated!Arthur and Merlin first meet, the reincarnated!Morgana magically disguised herself as Arthur and killed Merlin… and then she made sure to convince everyone (especially Merlin’s mother) that the actual Arthur killed Merlin. Arthur was too distraught over losing Merlin to try to clear his name. Anyway, no matter what he did, no one seemed to believe in his innocence.
And that left Merlin’s mother traveling back in time to get her revenge on Arthur for what he would do in the future. But I suppose in the end, it was truly Morgana’s revenge against Arthur and Merlin. Morgana sort of looks like Snow White, so it works…;)