Archived fic rec - Peach, Plum, pear

[sakura_no_miko]

Title: Peach, Plum, Pear

Author: sweetestdrain

Fandom: Merlin

Rating: R (maybe a light NC-17)

Pairing: Arthur/Merlin, Guinevere/Lancelot, and sort-of Arthur/Guinevere

Warnings: open/alternative relationship, infertility issues, mentions of past betrayal, angst,

Other notes: future!fic, fix-it fic, alternate universe, trial/tournament

Length: 13k

Summary: How in his tenth year of rule King Arthur chose a man to take the role of Court’s Magician, and how Arthur made his decision.

 

I’m going to run out of ways to say “I wish this was what happened in canon” over the next few days, but that does seem to be a linking factor in all the Merlin fic I enjoy–well, aside from the modern-day AUs, but those will be another day.

Where to start? I rather adore how Guinevere is written in this. I love that she’s the one one telling Lancelot and Arthur to stop being stupid, that she still fixes her own clothes and talks to Arthur with the respect only a servant could use so sarcastically. I even like Lancelot’s brief appearance. A few lines between him and Arthur tells you just about all you need to know.

I like that this fic doesn’t give easy answers. The original character who competes against Merlin, while bumbling and awkward in some ways, also shows a lot of different, but still useful solutions to problems, and he even gets a bit of sympathetic backstory as well. Merlin and Arthur aren’t able to go back to their previous relationship after having been estranged for twelve years. Arthur and Guinevere are navigating a marital relationship where both of them love each other and yet another person as well. And the ending says in a few lines that there will be a grand mixture of tragedy and happiness for everyone involved.

 

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Originally posted on tumblr on 11/23/12