sakura_no_miko | Archived fic rec

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Merlin/Arthur

Warnings: graphic sex (gay), some violence (not much more than the show, though), tattoo kink, angst, betrayal

Other notes: alternate universe, magic-accepting AU, kid fic/growing up fic, family, epic quests, magic, boys being stupid, long-distance relationship/separation, UST out the roof

Length: 29k

Summary: Uther dies instead of Ygraine when Arthur is born. Balinor helps Ygraine secure her position as regent, magic isn’t banned, and Merlin and Arthur grow up side by side. Camelot is different but not cloudless, destiny is still a troublesome thing, and Arthur is still charmingly oblivious when it comes to things that matter most in life.

This fic is absolutely delicious. It just hits me square in all the right places: Arthur and Merlin are absolutely adorable as kids, Arthur is all angst and clueless-ness and heart-in-the-right-place as a teen, and Merlin–oh, Merlin gets to be the mysterious, powerful, seemingly-unobtainable object of desire, instead of a bumbling clod trying to hide his powers.

Yeah, the ending’s wrapped up a bit too neatly–really, no one in this medieval setting has any issues with the king choosing a male consort? because their love is just that epic?–but the story getting there is gripping. The author takes several of the events from the show and re-weaves them, making them more dangerous, and yet it forces Arthur and Merlin to grow by leaps and bounds. I grump a lot about the show and it’s constant returns to status quo, which makes it hard for the characters to fully develop. This fic makes me much happier.

And, as always, the sex is smoking hot and well, well worth the wait.

if I had any complaints, well–the women characters don’t get much to do. Guin sort of disappears off for most of the fic; Morgana gets a bit of snark, but still suffers the plot-related backlash of her powers; and Ygraine…well, I think she’s open to any interpretation, really, and she shows moments of being a thoughtful leader, but overall she didn’t really win me over. That said, most of the fic I read tends to do the same thing–hell, I’ve done the same thing in my own stories without realizing it–so I feel kind of bad complaining. Yes, having weak, underdeveloped female characters is a big issue, but at the same time, I feel bad singling out this author and story.

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Originally posted on tumblr on 08/08/12

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