Welcome to A Month of Merlin, where Hypable honours the end of the epic BBC series. On the eve of the finale we bring you, the Merthur fandom, a way to keep the dream alive.
We don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that the faction of the fandom that have always seen Merlin and Arthur’s relationship as a romantic one and have been hoping for the pair to get together are probably suffering the most. Not only was their ship never legitimized in canon (and even though that was hardly to be expected, it still stings a little), but the end of the show also means that there are no more stolen glances or telling quotes to analyse and infuse with alternative meanings, and no more bromance moments between the two to use for gif sets and music videos.
But the good thing about fandom in general is that we will always have fanfiction. No matter how Merlin ends, no matter how the magic reveal goes and what happens to the characters in the show, we can always revisit the story, and make it exactly the way we would have liked to see it go. If Merlin and Arthur die, well, there’s always reincarnation right?!
So now, at the end of all things, we’re bringing you everything you need to survive: a collection of the best Merthur fanfics on the Internet, everything from canon era and reincarnation AUs. If you’re new to fanfiction this is a good place to start, and for the veterans, you can rediscover the classics (and hopefully some unexpected picks, too) and share your own recommendations in the comments!
NOTE: Fanfiction, and fandom in general, tends to lean on the explicit side of fiction, i.e. there’s a lot of sex. In explicit details. There’s also a lot of romance and other genres. The most epic, most popular stories will generally be sexually explicit and/or contain sexually explicit scenes. ALWAYS check the rating of a story, ALWAYS read the warnings.
This list was put together by the amazing MJ, who runs the Dirty Bookshelves Merthur fanfiction index. It is one of the most comprehensive guides you’ll find to the best stories available, so if you need any more after working through this list, that’s the place to go!
Canon / Canon AUs
1. Doubt Creeps In and Chills the Air (by junkshop_disco)
Genre/trope: Winter, quests, post-series 2
Rating: Mature (for sexual content)
Summary: (~6K words) Winter falls on Camelot. It falls to Merlin to keep Arthur company as the search for Morgana becomes increasingly desperate.
Why this story is awesome: A perfect example of stories that explore the missing scenes and moments from the show. The cold landscape and weather, the bleakness of it, mirror perfectly the desperation in Arthur, his need to find Morgana, and the guilt living in Merlin due to his role in her disappearance. They are each other’s comfort in this, and it might be a bit bittersweet, but it feels real and in character.
2. The History of Two Conversations on Paper (by takadainmate)
Genre/trope: Magic reveal, series 2
Rating: PG-13
Summary: (~11K words) Books are defaced. But it’s all for a good cause. Really.
Why this story is awesome: The idea of Merlin revealing his magic to Arthur is one of the major tropes within Merthur fanfiction, and has been explored in dozens of ways. Here, Arthur discovers Merlin’s magic by finding his magic book, in which Merlin has made several annotations in the margins. What then transpires is a sort of passive-aggressive communication through note-leaving, and clipped dialogues, so that Arthur can work through his feelings and anger. It’s funny, and at times touching, and definitely entertaining.
3. The Truth in Your Broken Hands (by Fuzzytomato)
Genre/trope: Pre-slash/friendship, hurt/comfort
Rating: G
Summary: (~1.3K words) Arthur notices the blisters on Merlin’s hands. (From fighting with Excalibur.)
Why this story is awesome: A very short scene where, for once, it’s Arthur who takes care of Merlin. Little stories like these are always fun to read: they’re short, comforting, often domestic in nature or tone, and explore in-between moments between characters and events, romantic or not (in this case, non-romantic), that aren’t shown in the show. It’s also a very nice example of the hurt/comfort trope which is very common in fanfiction.
4. Lost a Gesture and a Pose (by mad-poetics)
Genre/trope: Magic reveal, pre-slash/friendship, bit of angst, post-episode 2×13
Rating: PG
Summary: (~9.3K words) Deprived by circumstances of anything else to do, Arthur asks a great deal of questions. Eventually, Merlin answers.
Why this story is awesome: This story is sort of a huis clos where circumstances force Merlin to eventually divulge his secret(s). It’s well-done and deals with every event up to that point, from Merlin saving Arthur in the first episode, to Arthur learning about his birth, to poisoning Morgana and freeing the dragon. It’s a really nice magic reveal that deals mostly with the dynamics between Merlin and Arthur without getting romantic, or trite.
5. An Unnecessary Freezing of Water (by shinetheway)
Genre/trope: Winter/hypothermia, hurt/comfort, magic reveal, hunting
Rating: Mature (for sexual content)
Summary: (~8.2K words) The next time he opened his eyes he was as cold as he’d ever been in his life.
Why this story is awesome: The atmosphere of this story is wonderful. The cold of the snow, the ice, is a perfect backdrop for Merlin’s desperation as he tries to save Arthur. It uses the often-used, but always-loved, ‘falling in icy water body heat is the only way to survive’ trope perfectly and beautifully. The magic reveal is a quiet affair, tempered by the weather, the close brush with death, and the overwhelming fear of loss.
6. Cost/Benefit Analysis (by derryere)
Genre/trope: Established relationship, POV fic
Rating: PG
Summary: (~3.8K words) Arthur is trying to figure out how much Merlin is costing him.
Why this story is awesome: A very nice, absolutely in-character exploration of Merlin and Arthur’s relationship, from Arthur’s point-of-view. It looks at Arthur’s process in accepting, and embracing, what Merlin means to him. Because it is very well-known that while Pendragons can have lots of feeling, they’re not the brightest at acknowledging them, accepting them, or showing them. It’s full of warmth and will make you smile.
7. To Be Known (by sometimesophie)
Genre/trope: Magic reveal, pre-slash
Rating: PG
Summary: (~3.5K words) “So this is what it felt like to be normal. Merlin opens his eyes to the cool, shining metal of Arthur’s unsheathed blade. ‘Sorcerer,’ Arthur spits.”
Why this story is awesome: Another non-romantic story exploring the magic reveal trope (quite frequent and popular in canon fanfictions). This one is more focused on Arthur’s anger, bordering on violence as he struggles with his sense of betrayal, what he knows of Merlin, and what he believes sorcerers are. Of course, nothing adds up. It’s an interesting narrative, especially since it’s very much about Arthur’s feelings, but told from Merlin’s point-of-view, where we get to see his love and devotion and fear. It’s short, but powerful.
8. In Time of Trial (by shine)
Genre: Magic reveal, adventure, battles/war, Druids
Rating: Mature (bordering on explicit, but easily skippable)
Summary: (~37K words) Uther fears his son’s power, and Merlin has helped Arthur flee to escape imprisonment. Now the two of them must fight to regain Arthur’s rightful place in Camelot.
Why this story is awesome: An excellent example of a Canon AU. The story still happens in the world of the show, but diverge at one point from the canonical storyline to tell another story altogether. Here, Uther turns on his son, forcing Arthur to flee. What follows is a story of loyalty, love, war, alliances (magical and not), treasons and more. It’s exciting and well-paced and very, very enjoyable.
9. As Falling Snow (by i_claudia)
Genre: Future fanfiction, Merlin as court sorcerer, winter, hunting
Rating: PG
Summary: (~5.3K words) Arthur could never be lost in Camelot, not on these lands he’s ranged over since boyhood, this soil he’s fought and lost and bled for.
Why this story is awesome: Future!fics as they are called, generally explore events in the, you’ve guessed it, future. In the case of Merlin, this usually means when Arthur is King and Merlin Court Sorcerer (something we will most probably not see on the show). This story is interesting because it deals with the idea that even though Arthur has accepted magic, doubts still sometimes linger in his mind, pesky remnants of his youth and education, and show how very hard it can be to completely rid oneself of what was so deeply ingrained. Of course, being stuck in a cave with Merlin during a snowstorm helps (or doesn’t).
10. The Knights Have a Thousand Eyes (by stakeaclaim)
Genre/trope: Magic reveal (Arthur knows), adventure, conflict, other characters’ POVs, knights shenanigans
Rating: Mature (for sexual content)
Summary: (~71K) In which Arthur attempts to teach his knights, his knights attempt to woo Merlin and Arthur is definitely not jealous…
Why this story is awesome: A long fanfiction with a twisted and complex plot, loved mostly for its large cast involving lots of well-done original characters (all of them knights of Camelot, based on knights from the legends). Interesting also, is that it uses the trope of ‘Arthur knows,’ meaning it goes with the idea that Arthur knows about Merlin’s magic, though Merlin doesn’t know that Arthur knows. Secrets are kept and discovered, the knights meddle a lot, there’s adventure and lots of action, side stories, and funny moments.
Click to the next page for the ultimate list of Modern Era and other AU fanfics!
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