If I already replied to you I shall reply again. :)
lilyflower1345 : You are very welcome, Lily. Thanks! I love to explore the advisor-side to the Arthur & Merlin dynamic. ;)
Windy Silvermist: Thanks Windy! I am so glad you liked it. ;)
caldera32: Lol, I know right? ;)- Manage Stories
Potato Fairy Ah, I love yo alright? *hugs tightly*
Mika271170: Thanks! and there might be in the future. ;)
hemlocked : OMG. You are awesome, you know that? Merlin and Arthur reflected on Dean and Sammy? Just...yes.
MamzelleHermy: Aww, thank you so much Hermy! *hugs tightly.*
In-Love-With-The-Fictional: YOUR REVIEW made me smile like no other. You are just awesome. I am sorry for the overwhelming feels but I truly believe it is the best way to heal from the finale. Aww, and bless ya too! ;)
azuredragonsleeps : I guess this answers that little comment. Thank you! :D
CarolinaEirasSa : Carolina you always know how to make my day, don't you? Love you! I hope you enjoy this one. :D
chele the original: Thanks! :D I was aiming for extreme bamfness. ;)
photo100: Aw, I'm glad!
Insanityisgood25: Hello my crazy hedgehog! How are you doin' this fine evening? This is dedicated to you and you only. :D
SpangleyPony: Thank you so much SpangleyPony! You are so sweet. :)
Oh, was this fun. :D One of the randomest things I've ever done. The first epistolary story/one-shot/thing I've ever written! (it's a miracle and an odd thing indeed because I really can't stand epistolary things. *cough *Frankestein *cough.*) but…I wanted to try. :D
Sneaky bromance is sneaky.
This was requested by Insanityisgood25: "I would love some more Merlin Bamf and maybe even Gwen bamf? The 4 parter that you did was amazing! Could you (if t would fit because I don't know if this idea would) do one when Merlin is Court Sorcerer (that idea strikes again ) and him and Arthur have to go to another kingdom and maybe some craziness ensues? Just an idea..."
TA-DA! Because I love you. :D
And in the sea that's painted black,
Creatures lurk below the deck
But you're the king and I'm a lionheart.
- King and Lionheart, Of Monsters & Men.
Below The Deck.
.
Found in the royal documents of Queen Julia of Leodengrance after her death.)
.
To the most excellent Queen Julia of Leodengrance, with every affection of faithful service, wishes of prosperity and peace from her most humble servant and scribe Peter of Bor.
My dear Lady, I have arrived at the ship that sails in a few hours with the orders you have given me and I shall be parting towards the Northern Kingdoms very soon. As it is your wish, I will be writing to you with the daily occurrences aboard, first of all, since you were most interested, I shall tell you about that man they call The Once and Future King. Uther's son.
Arthur Pendragon is really not as tall as they paint him.
Though, my Lady, he does have hair the color of newborn wheat, a cropped beard and blue eyes. The bards do tend to exaggerate, don't they? His sword is silver and gold but it does not contain magical beams (a shame,) and he is as menacing as a bear cub.
Don't even get me started on The Emrys! We've both heard wonderful things about him and though I admittedly thought they were all hogwash I was certainly not expecting this. He is a tall young man, thin as a toothpick and pale as marble. He beams and nods and throughout the whole exchange of documents and certificates so that we could all leave the port, he never once left King Arthur Pendragon's side. He also tripped over a wet spot on the deck and would've broken his nose if it were not for the Pendragon's quick reflexes. I cannot see The Emrys in that gangly man, anywhere. It is odd indeed.
My Lady, now I must leave you for we are already parting and the boy that will carry this letter to you needs to run or he'll have to swim back. But I have the crow with me and I shall use it to send the rest of my report as I chronicle my journey.
Forever your faithful servant,
Peter of Bor.
(The Fourth Day.)
.
To Queen Julia of Leodengrance, with every wish for her wellbeing, forever submitted to her will, her scribe Peter of Bor.
As I write I can barely stop my hands from trembling, it is awful to be out on open sea. However, the only one that seems to be enjoying himself is Arthur Pendragon. Even Princess Mithian of Nemeth (who seemed most resilient.) has turned down the evening meal and the High King of these lands ate her sausages…and his Court Sorcerer's too.
My stomach is a roaring thunder and my hands are clammy, as if I've drunk too much wine. But there is no chance to even think about nominal things such as food and drink with what is a stake and I've asked Arthur Pendragon if he does plan to rid the Northern borders from the Saxons with diplomacy.
He said that yes, such thing is the general idea but that, if it did not work, he had a secret weapon up his sleeve. Then he smiled at me with that toothy grin of his that you, My Lady, would find charming but that I cannot help but find annoying, and clapped once. He said that tactful democracy is always necessary but sometimes so is violence, if said democracy fails to convince the Saxons of stopping their attacks.
He ate my sausages as well.
Princess Mithian stopped to talk to me. She said that we are all in good hands and that I should not fret. However, I cannot help but feel as if I am leaving the fate of Albion in the hands of two children.
You should know, My Lady, that The Emrys is not as invincible as we all thought. King Arthur might laugh about it but I think it is absolutely disgraceful that a man so powerful can be undone by a mere rocking ship. Though I am not feeling too good myself I am not the one throwing up over the deck and moaning about 'ungrateful dollopheads' (I hope I did hear that correctly though I have no recollection of ever hearing that word before.) looking positively miserable.
I wonder if the Saxons will see that these two are bickering children and doom us all,
With blessings,
Peter of Bor.
(The Tenth Day.)
.
To Queen Julia of Leodengrance, peace and prosperity from her most humble servant, Peter of Bor.
You wish, My Lady, to hear from the man the prophets call 'Altus rex Britanniae' and I want nothing more than to please you. I sought out an audience with the ruler of Camelot in your name and he received me with the notable quickness.
I asked him right away, if he intended to make fools of us all. He is nothing but a child King and the heavy armies that we all expected from Albion's lands are reduced to a seasick sorcerer that apparently is the most powerful man to ever live and a sword made of gold and silver that cannot shoot arrows of beaming light as that blabbering Lord once made us believe.
I must say, My Lady, that this man had no fear for he laughed in my face, striking the wooden table with his fist as he did so. I asked him what was so funny and do you want to know what he said? That he agreed wholeheartedly with my observations of The Emrys' astonishing clumsiness.
But, once he was sobered up he sat straighter and his jaw clenched. I must say, Your Highness, for the first time since I saw him, he looked as majestic as they describe him.
He told me that, even if it did not appear so, his Court Sorcerer, his Merlin (I don't know what to make of it. The Emrys referred to the Pendragon as his King from the day I came aboard and it is highly improbable that it is only a coincidence.) held within him more power than what any man could ever hope to comprehend. That not even he, bounded to the warlock, could know such power in its totality. 'The kindest, noblest man I'll ever know.' he said to me. 'You must not think any less of him only because he is a clumsy idiot.'
He somehow knew what I had been thinking. 'You musn't think that him being here is a preemptive measure. I do intend to negotiate things peacefully with the Saxons and with Merlin by my side, as he always is. Sometimes, I wonder if I deserve him.'
'Friends are loyal to each other.' I interjected quickly for I had witnessed the friendship between them and I did not understand what King Arthur was talking about.
'Friends.' he repeated, looking at me though his gaze was far away. 'Friends. Is that what we are? I think friendship does not convey what Merlin and I are. Perhaps, 'two sides of the same coin.' is a better way of looking at it. ' He laughed as if it was some sort of inside joke and I just stared.
We shook hands and that was the end of it. My Queen, I don't know what to think. I feel as if this is suicidal but at the same time I am certain that his words were sincere.
Yours truly,
Peter of Bor.
( The fifteenth day.)
.
To the most excellent Queen Julia of Leodengrance, with every affection of faithful service, wishes of prosperity and peace from her most humble servant and scribe Peter of Bor.
My dear Lady,
We have crossed the first two seas.
We've been lucky. So far we've only encountered lonely rocks and icy islands but the Captain warns us of the vast dangers that the sea hides. I shudder as I think of everything that might happen but King Arthur Pendragon laughs and so does The Emrys. Though his laugh is, as it has been throughout the week I've been a spectator of their childish behavior, marked by horseplay. Yes, they irritate me to no end, My Lady, and I must say that I am worried about the Saxons, more than what I would admit.
But The Emrys insisted that I should call him 'Merlin' yesterday and sat with me. He spoke about Arthur Pendragon, said he noticed my skepticism.
"I understand that you hesitate to trust him and doubt him." said he, "I know that you are scared for your Queen and your kingdom. But you don't need to be. Even if Arthur is young for someone holding such power and even if he is not as merciless or as menacing as people sometimes envision him it does not mean he is not the man you need. The man we all need."
He continued talking and started doing these gestures with his hands, almost as if he could not express his ardent words thoroughly. "You must understand something, My Lord. There is no other man more apt to be our advocate among the Saxons. He was born to lead us all into prosperity."
I asked him if he thought that of himself and he looked at me with a bemused expression that I shan't forget while I live. He told me that he was born, and I quote, 'for Arthur and Arthur only.' and that all of his power was Arthur's to command. He said that, in the end, it was the High King whom would turn the tide of the battle.
I have pondered over his words for hours now, My Lady, and I see no reason to doubt him. Though his magnificent power is yet to be seen.
Your faithful scribe,
Peter of Bor.
(The twentieth day.)
.
My most excellent Queen,
There are no words for this.
(In here there are a few words scribbled, however, the handwriting is unintelligible.)
I guess I must start from the beginning.
Yesterday evening ( I can barely believe just five days ago I was sitting on the deck with The Emrys- Merlin, I must call my savior by his name if he wishes for it.- and everything was right with the world.) But yes, yesterday evening a storm hit, as fierce as the bards say. There was thunder, there was rain…it was all so sudden….
I, a feeble old man of almost eighty years of age, was starting to feel the aching of my bones as I made my way through the deck when it begun. Almost out of nowhere the Captain was there, confirming all of our fears. 'Hurricane a'commin'! Stand fast! Secure the riggin'!'(1)
I remember distinctly the quick dismay that overcame my every sense and I believe that, perhaps, that is the reason why I did not follow Princess Mithian's warnings and went below deck. But I witnessed one of the most majestic scenes that my eyes have ever seen for, there to help the passengers, were King Arthur and Merlin, both of them cloaked and soaked, the High King shouting orders and defending those that could not make it below, The Emrys standing tall and entwining his fingers above his head as the water changed its course at his wish…(2)
And there I was, watching with an open mouth. Thankfully, I was too stunned to even move because I believe that I would've died had I seen the monster face to face as the Captain did. But I only felt its slimy, green tentacle grab my ankle and the coldness of the freezing water over me before I heard a distinct scream of – Kraken! And then I was underwater, way too quickly for my liking.
But before I had time to panic and give way for the cold water to enter my lungs I saw a figure dimly approaching. It was him! My Lady, it was The Emrys, who'd dived in after me. His eyes glowed like two suns in the darkness of the freezing waters and suddenly I felt the tentacle constricting my poor leg slackening. The Emrys pulled me by the armpits and then his eyes grew wide. I saw with dismay that both of his ankles were now being grabbed by the slimy monster.
He did not panic, however, and his eyes flashed gold again. Before I could lose consciousness I was out of the water and two strong arms were grabbing the fabric of my blouse and I was coughing and spluttering. (Later I realized that King Arthur was the one that grabbed me though I still don't know how he knew…) and someone was slapping my face. A voice screamed desperately for me to answer where the hell (King Arthur's word, not mine My Lady.) was Merlin and I could only mutter 'the monster.'
I lost consciousness then and when I awoke to a grim looking Princess Mithian it was because of the incessant shouting that I could hear on deck. My Lady, I'd never felt so powerless. I witnessed King Arthur climb onto deck with his Court Sorcerer, shouting like a madman. Then, I was under once again.
It could've been years but only hours went by before I woke up in a makeshift bed with King Arthur looking down at me and The Emrys sneezing by his side. He asked very politely how I felt and I answered that I would be alright before remembering my savior. I am not ashamed to say that I wanted to bend down on my knee for that extraordinary man whom I had treated so poorly. But instead King Arthur only adjusted a Camelot-red cloak around his sneezing Court Sorcerer and told me that there was no need. He said that I should rest and that he was happy to see me open my eyes.
However, I took the Emrys' wrist and pleaded for his forgiveness. He said 'there is nothing to forgive.' argued that he was glad he had saved me and asked me to please call him by his birth name. Merlin. Then, he sneezed some more and King Arthur materialized by his side instantly, ruffling his hair and unlacing his own cloak to place it around his Court Sorcerer's shoulders. I watched all of this with wonder.
I am now writing this for you, My Lady, with an admiration that knows no boundaries.
I believe the bards were right, My Queen.
Forever your servant,
Peter of Bor.
( Letter from Princess Mithian to his Majesty, King Rodor of Nemeth.)
.
Dearest Father,
I hope you are alright back home. We arrived safely yesterday and Arthur sorted the matter quickly. We only had one minor incident with a rebellious mercenary but Merlin took care of it and no one got hurt.
But Father, you will not believe me when I tell you what happened as we entered the Northern borders! A kraken - a kraken like the one old Lucy used to tell us about- attacked us! I wish I could tell you about it but nothing written will ever be enough. It is a magnificent sight once you work past the terror.
It is hard to imagine but the kraken actually managed to take one of us. Do you remember Julia Leodengrance's scribe? that little old man with round glasses and a pouting expression? Well, father you must believe me, the monster managed to wrap its tentacle around him and took him below the water. I screamed and the Captain did as well and before any of us noticed Merlin was jumping towards the water and I jumped forth to grab Arthur's arm before he threw himself overboard after his best friend.
Arthur thrashed but I managed to knock some sense into him. However he still perched himself precariously on the rail of the main deck and looked at the water with wide eyes. I still don't know how he did it but just as the Captain tried to force him away from the black waters Arthur stilled and then screamed a warning at the same time the poor scribe sprung from the water, almost- certainly - by work of magic. Arthur grabbed him by the tunic and managed to get him on board, slapping his face and screaming for Merlin.
And I must confess that my heart dropped when the man said that the monster still had him.
Before any of us could do nothing Arthur was already doing an spectacular leap towards the water and resurfaced a few moments with Merlin, screaming for the Captain. He was too slow, however, and I had to throw Arthur the rope and then help the crew reel them both back into the safety of the deck. I remember thanking all of the gods when they finally lay on the wood but then starting to panic just a moment later because Merlin was not rolling and spluttering like Arthur was. In fact, Merlin was not moving at all.
I think both the Captain and I noticed it at the same time and we both ran forwards but Arthur was there first. He shook Merlin's shoulders and screamed improper words that I shall not write down and then began hitting Merlin's chest with his fists. I just watched, petrified. But when we were all about to despair Merlin began coughing water and thankfully it all was over.
Almost all of it, anyway. He might've survived a kraken but dear old Merlin caught a cold, after all. Isn't that ironic, father?
It is ironic father but the most hilarious incident by far happened a few hours ago when we finally made it to dry land. Arthur, blond, regal, impressive, came out of the ship first, skipping- father, skipping!- through the ramp and meeting with the Saxon delegate, Faust. Before any of us made it out of the deck Faust was already asking about the policies Arthur wanted to implement and what should be the course of action if something is to happen. "Ah!" Arthur said. "You see, I have my secret weapon."
I had to fight the urge to laugh at the hopeful, adoring look on Faust' face. But soon I could not stop myself anymore when Arthur called for Merlin with that imperious tone of his and the aforementioned man tumbled across the deck, messy black hair, pale blue eyes and face tinted with green. He moaned as he wrapped his fingers around of the wooden structure and I patted his back consolingly. Faust' jaw tensed and I was sure that a muscle in his neck was about to pop. "That's your secret weapon?"
Arthur, as clueless as ever, didn't even turn but just nodded and beamed. And, to my further amusement, Faust observed with distaste. "It looks as if he's about to faint."
That wiped that smile right off Arthur's face. With a scowl he turned around and crossed his arms on his chest, looking so much like you father that I could not stop my guffaw. His tone was almost yours, father, when any of us does something you don't approve of. "Merlin, stop being a girl and come here!" Paying no heed, Merlin just doubled over and retched downwards, towards the sea .
Needless to say, Faust was not impressed with the all-powerful warlock ( until this evening when Merlin was forced to conjure a fire-dragon, that is.) and I must agree that the mighty Emrys getting seasick is one of those mysteries that make life sweeter.
Your loving daughter,
Mithian.
(1) My admiration and love for whomever gets the reference will be undying.
(2) One thing. Totally inspired by ATLA, on one of the episodes I love the most. 'The Awakening.' has one of the most awesome scenes ever when Katara makes the water rise and become vapor to conceal their ship from the fire nation. Yep, I totally stole that. Epicness. :)
Love and kisses and rainbows and everything that makes the powerpuff -girls for all of you (sparks and everything nice, wasn't it?.),
Ocean.