Until the Dragon Comes

I promised one more set of recs before the end of October, and here I am practising my usual last-minuteism. :-) These are all canon-era Merlin stories, with a focus on plot, and on Merlin and Arthur's friendship as much as romance.

First is one of the longest Merlin stories I've ever read:
The Ivy Crown by dayari
" Merlin couldn't have picked a worse time to finally tell Arthur about his magic. In the wake of the battle against the immortal army, a strange visitor disrupts the court, calling himself the Green Knight and proposing a test of the court's integrity. Although Uther turns him away, several of Camelot's northern allies end up mysteriously beheaded over the next few months, and Arthur, Merlin and the knights set out to investigate. They encounter more than they'd bargained for on the way—a reckless young boy, a lady in search of a husband, a centuries-old fairytale that holds more than a grain of truth... and a challenge that ends up being more than just a game."
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The second is another Big Bang story, though not as long:
Crossroads of Disbelief by thoughtreflex
"A case of mistaken identity leads to trouble for Arthur, until it becomes more than a bid for his own freedom, but a struggle of survival that encompasses not only himself, but Merlin, and two kingdoms on the brink of war. "
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An early story in the fandom, written in 2009, but still a very enjoyable one:
The Knights Have a Thousand Eyes by stakeaclaim
"In which Arthur is out of sorts. His manservant leaves a lot to be desired, Morgana is scary, Merlin's 'luck' is becoming too noticeable, his knights need to learn some lessons, and they're beginning to act very strangely. Arthur blames Merlin."
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Finally a story from the Kink meme, but not a kinky one - this is completely gen.
Bottle by anon
The prompt was: "Canon era magic reveal. Merlin accidentally reveals his magic in front of several of Arthur's knights. (Would love to see Leon, Percival, Elyan, Lancelot, Gwaine if you can cram them all in.) Anon is looking for drama as the knights each react a little differently - not all of them completely okay with the magic issue. Up to author whether Arthur is there when the reveal happens or if he's fetched or if Merlin is brought to him. How does Arthur handle this knowing everyone now knows?"
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I'm afraid I haven't posted as many recs as I would have liked this month - too much distracted by family history research, which I must post about at some point - but I do intend to do at least one more set before the end of the month.

In the meantime, though, a short story for anyone who's been part of a close-knit internet community.

User Since by rageprufrock
"To: PC (loyaltothedream@hushmail.com)
From: Buck (bucky1956@yahoo.com)
Subject: Report!
Date: May 10, 2012

Phil — where the hell are you, man? Let us know if you're all right, or if there's anything we can do to help. HQ's freaking the fuck out."

Agent Phil Coulson was a Captain America fan - fellow fans react in the weeks after the Battle of New York.

One of the things I love that fanfic can do that canon usually can't is the ability to bring together characters from different fandoms and/or let them explore each other's world. This is a really mixed bag of stories, united only by the fact that I enjoyed them, and I hope you might do so too.

Displacement (The Longest Three-Week Day) by michelel72 (Rodney McKay/Donna Noble)
"Another day, another "science conference" gone horribly wrong. For once, Dr. Rodney McKay gets help saving the world … but then Donna Noble remembers."
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Feast of All Fools by AJHall (Torchwood/Lord Peter Wimsey)
"Spring, 1940. In a remote German Army base a captured British intelligence officer resists interrogation and waits for death. But his family has influence even he never suspected they possessed and help is at hand from a wholly unexpected source."
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Time Flies Like a Bullet by Dira Sudis (Sherlock/?)
'"Whenever I start feeling like what I'm doing is pointless," he typed, without looking over at Sherlock, "like I've failed completely, I remember my first tour in Afghanistan."'
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I'm not a sucker so I don't need a bodyguard by musesfool (Angel/Batman)
"Cordelia's been in the game long enough that she can spot a secret identity from a mile away."
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Unsuited for surveillance by TheArticulatedTurnip (Yes Minister/The Professionals)
"Hacker isn't sure which is worse: being trailed by CI5, whoever they are, or the lamentable dress standards of the security services"
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On Track by ML Mead (The Professionals/Steam Trains)
"Bodie and Doyle, a day off and a very large train set."
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I've mentioned to several people that I meant to do a set of recs where one of our heroes is turned into a cat, and never got round to it. So I thought rectober was the perfect excuse to actually make it happen.

The first story I ever really noticed with this premise was in SGA. The fandom(and the show) had a traditional of alien technology doing unrealistic things, so it wasn't such a great stretch to imagine that John Sheppard could be turned into a small black cat, or that Rodney, with his canonical love of cats, would be the best person to protect his interests.

The Checkmate 'Verse by Bead

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Merlin, with canonical magic and a YA tone, was an excellent fit for animal transformation stories - I still wish for the end of the series where Merlin got turned into a merlin - but cats were certainly a popular option. A common theme was that Merlin had to be in hiding for some reason, and that Arthur may not even realise that the cat he's become attached to was his big-earred manservant. :-)

Lemon Meringue by adelagia
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A Prince's Tale of Cats and Warlocks by dornfelder
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A Prince's best friend by Itar94
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Magic is canon the Avengers universe as well, and while I haven't come across that many cat transformations, this is a brilliant one.

Momentary Paws (or, DO NOT WANT) by velithya
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I've been reading and enjoying a lot of Teen Wolf fic over the past few months, and naturally there are animal transformation stories - quite apart from the werewolves, of course. This being a universe where the characters haven't had so long to learn to trust each other, this is the spikiest of the stories in this set, though there's still some excellent bed sharing.

Pussy Galore by kalpurna
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Two stories from this summer's Merlin Big Bang. I'm still reading, so there may be more later.

What Have Kings by antonomasia09.

"Arthur is the king of Camelot, but his hold on power is tenuous at best due to an injury that won't properly heal. Merlin is a druid slave whose life Arthur saves on a whim. Together, they embark on a quest to reclaim the legendary sword lost by Arthur’s father, and to restore faith in the Pendragon name. Fusion with The Eagle."

A very clever fusion of ideas and themes from Merlin and The Eagle. I love canon-era AUs, and this really works in giving us the characters we know and love in a slightly different setting.


Awake by Cori Lannam.

"King Arthur sleeps in Avalon, waiting to return at the hour of Albion's greatest need. But once a year he awakes and spends a single day with Merlin, who will never, ever leave him."

This made me smile, made me cry, and left me convinced that Merlin and Arthur had performed the task that fate had set for them, and could look forward to a happy life together, for however long it would last.

It's a truly satisfying exploration of the reality of an Arthur sleeping until Albion's Greatest Need - there have been so many, how do you pick one?