Okay, so first and foremost, to those who are reading my story 'Camelot Orchestra', I believe I owe you guys an apology for not updating in ages. After finishing my exams (which I actually didn't do too badly in, to my surprise), I had to complete a design project of mine which took another couple of weeks, so yeah, that's my lame excuse. Fear not though, I have been writing the next chapter and should be posting it within the next week.
Secondly, despite having a story that is in dire need of updating, I decided to start another one due to an idea that I had after reading the amazing Whitecross's Merlin Musical stories, which lead me to wonder what it would like if the Merlin writers thought one day "Fuck it, let's mess with everyone and write a musical episode". As a result, this story (which will be a multi-chapter one) was born. Kind of like the Buffy episode, which I have never watched, but my friends have assured me it was incredibly funny and has lead me to believe that the Merlin writers passed up an opportunity to be even more epic then it already was.
Thirdly, I think Whitecross and any other writers who have written similar material took prompts from reviewers. I will do the same, however because I have a vague idea of how long this story will be (probably not that long) and what songs I want which characters to do, I may not follow through with all suggestions given to me. So I'm just saying sorry in advance and that you will all receive virtual hugs and a personal shout out for your contribution :) There's a list at the bottom giving you a brief outline of what to expect and should hopefully guide your prompts if you should like to post one.
Anyways, if you haven't already gotten bored, please read on, and sorry for any spelling/grammar errors.
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Sleep. That was pretty much all Arthur wanted at that moment. Not only because his body still ached from the rigorous training of the previous day where Gwaine had gotten dangerously close to beating him in a sparring contest (thank god that didn't happen, the man already had the ego the size of a watermelon), but also because it was one of the only times that he could see Guinevere in his hazy half-remembered dreams, where barriers in class no longer existed and they could be together.
But fate, it seems had other plans, when at seven in the morning, he awoke to the sound the opening of a door and whoosh of curtains opening letting in streams of blinding yellow sunlight. "And this is why I can't have nice things", Arthur thought, as he unwillingly opened his bleary eyes and took in the sight of his manservant pacing about the room, readying his clothes and preparing his things for the day, whilst whistling a tune under his breath.
Arthur moaned, and grabbed a pillow and shoved it over his head, covering his ears in a vain attempt to block the sound.
"Merlin, would you shut up?" he complained through the layer of cloth and feathers, emphasising the last two words.
To his dismay, the sound did not die down, but instead intensified to a loud humming, prompting Arthur to tear the pillow from his face and throw it haphazardly in a random direction, hoping it hit it's intended target. As much as Arthur valued his manservant to be one of his closet friends and advisors, he had absolutely no tact when it came to morning rituals.
After a few seconds, however, he came to the conclusion that he couldn't lay about in bed all day (a man had to pee), swung his legs over the side of his large four poster bed and planted his feet on the cold wooden floor. He turned to see Merlin standing next to the window, who had thankfully ceased his humming, but was now standing still in the centre of the room, fixating his vibrant stare towards him.
"Ah Merlin", Arthur inquired. "Shouldn't you be getting my breakfast?"
Instead of Merlin's usual quick reply of "Right away your prattiness", Arthur was met with something a little…unorthodox. If by unorthodox, Arthur meant completely unexpected, as he watched Merlin pivot quickly on one foot to face his confused sovereign and began to sing.
Oh oh oh, woke up today
Feeling the way I always do
'What. In. The. Hell' Arthur thought, as he watched a man whom he believed to be Merlin but appeared to be some sort of impostor theatre performer in his friend's clothes, sing a joyful, confident tune whilst dancing across the room.
Oh, oh, oh
Hungry for something
That I can't eat
Then I hear that beat
The Merlin-Impostor now strode towards the window and thrust the shutters open, inviting a shell-shocked Arthur to observe the townspeople below in the square; farmers and merchants setting up their stalls, other servants hurriedly rushing around to retrieve water from a nearby well and food for their masters, young eager-eyed squires leading massive horses to the stables whilst a group of red-caped knights in silver armour reflecting the sun's rays walked in groups towards the training grounds.
The rhythm of town
Starts calling me down
It's like a message from
High above
In all honesty Arthur had always liked observing and being amongst his people whom as a child, his overbearing father had forbidden him to interact with, ordering him to stay inside the castle grounds. But he didn't just like it because it was a chance to indulge his lack of childhood experiences. One day, he wasn't sure when but he secretly hoped it wasn't too soon, he was destined to rule these people. To lead and protect them. How could he be the King that they deserved if he didn't even know them? In retrospect Arthur was pretty sure he had gotten that advice from Guinevere. Or maybe Merlin.
Arthur looked back at his friend who was now resuming his strange dance around the room.
Maybe not.
'God' he thought, running a hand through his tousled hair, 'I really don't have the time for this'. "Merlin", he said sternly. "I don't know if you annoyed Gaius enough to make him want to feed you one of his vile concoctions that has made you act like an idiot, but I don't have the time for this stupidity". Merlin paid no heed to this speech, as he grabbed Arthur's arm and began to pull him towards the door. His sleepiness combined with his confusion rendered Arthur's feeble attempts to resist useless, as he was now propelled into the busy corridor filled with servants and noblemen and women alike.
Oh, oh, oh
Pulling me out
To the smiles and the
Streets that I love
Good morning Camelot
Every day's like an open door
Every night is a fantasy
Every sound's like a symphony
Good morning Camelot
And some day when I take to the floor
The world's gonna wake up and see
Camelot and me!
Arthur had expected passers by to be shocked by Merlin's singing, which echoed throughout the hallway. To his surprise they all joined in, harmonising with the melody with the same vigour and animation that coloured Merlin's voice. Was there some sort of declaration he had missed that morning? Arthur squinted as he made out Merlin gravitate towards a woman with a head of brown curls carrying a laundry basket standing next to a tall pale woman, who began to dance and link arms with Merlin. Since when did Gwen and Morgana get here?!
I know every spell
I know every song
I know there's a place where I belong
I can see my destined path shining ahead
So someone invite me
Before I drop dead!
The crowd responded to Merlin's statement with an eager Before he drops dead! Merlin then dropped Gwen and Morgana's arms and made his way down the corridor towards Arthur again, the sunlight pouring through the windows forming a path of light on which he walked. 'No' Arthur amended his previous thought, 'strutted'.
Oh, oh, oh
Don't make me wait
One more moment for my life to start...
As Merlin held his note, the corridor began to teem with even more energy, as its inhabitants began to sing their response with more enthusiasm and smiled and linked arms with each other. Good morning, good morning
Waiting for my life to start!
I love you Camelot
Every day's like an open door
Every night is a fantasy
Every sound's like a symphony
And I promise Camelot
That some day when
I take to the floor
The world's gonna wake up and see
Gonna wake up and see
Camelot and me...
A joyful cacophony of sound filled the space and begin to spill out through the windows into the grounds. Despite Arthur's initial confusion, he couldn't help but feel…happy. What the hell was going on?
Camelot and me
Camelot and me!
And before Arthur's very eyes, Merlin ran down the corridor and slid down on his knees the remainder of the way for the big finale where he and the others belted out the final lines. Then as soon as the song began, the crowd dispersed, chatting and walking as if nothing had happened. Before he could comprehend just what exactly happened a young messenger boy rushed up to him, panting as he recited his note. "Sire, the King requests your presence in the throne room…as soon as you are ready."
"Uh…okay" The boy nodded and ran back the hall, leaving the young prince utterly perplexed. What in the name of Camelot had just happened? Speaking of which, the tune was actually quite catchy. 'And', he pondered as he wondered dazedly back into his room to find a shirt, 'Merlin isn't that bad a singer'.
Okay, so that was the beginning of my foray into the world of musical FanFiction writing. If you liked it, please review. If you hated it, please review. If you accidentally stumbled across this page because you misspelt a Google search term, please review. If you have no idea how you got here, please review. I would really appreciate it :)
Guide for 'Just Another Camelot Musical'
Chapter 2: Morgana-central, will probably use rock music by female artists (anyone keen for Joan Jett?)
Chapter 3: Knights-central, boy-band music. I know that that sounds really bad, but I seriously would have given up my right hand to see Gwaine, Leon, Elyan, Lancelot and Percival be all faux-serious whilst singing 'I want it that way'.
Chapter 4: Gwen-central, NO IDEA WHAT MUSIC TO USE PLEASE PROMPT ME. In saying that, I probably won't use music that is too 'pop' as in 'Call Me Maybe'-styled stuff. Not that I have anything against the song or anything, I just feel like I need to give her something a little indie (e.g. Haim), or sensual (e.g. a neo-soul or slightly jazz-y song to contrast to the grit from Morgana's chapter) or powerful (e.g. Beyonce-from Queen Bey to…Queen G! Get it? Get it-ok I'll shut up)
Chapter 5: ? PROMPT ME PEOPLE! I was thinking Uther and a really bad hip hop song with Arthur looking on in utter confusion and embarrassment but I'll admit that that probably isn't my best idea and welcome any ideas.
Chapter 6: Grand finale with Merlin making another solo appearance with the rest of Camelot joining in.
END
Thank you for reading!