badelynge
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Between the Cailleach—who watched him silently—and the swirling darkness of the rend in the fabric of the world, sat a squat circle of stones, built up into a small wall. A well. Either Merlin had not noticed it before or, more likely, it had materialised before him without his notice. He could feel how alive this place was with magic, though none of it felt quite right at the gateway that should never have been. The hairs on the back of his neck raised, as if something had breathed down it, and Merlin shivered.
It was now or never.
Merlin perched himself on the edge of the wall, swinging his legs round until they dangled into nothingness. With one final glance at the men who still argued, each one of them dear to him, he caught Arthur’s eyes at last. Merlin’s heart sank in his chest, as he watched Arthur’s jaw drop.
Merlin does what he must to pay the Cailleach's toll. Arthur is with him, even at the bottom of a well.
Bookmarked by badelynge
02 Jul 2026
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There was very little gentleness in most of Arthur's physical interactions. He was a warrior, but even outside of that, his role as a leader meant that by necessity he had to maintain a certain distance and decorum that contained a different kind of violence. Sometimes he wondered if the safety of that distance was worth the ache of isolation.
Or: 5 times Arthur noticed Merlin using his gentle hands to tend to his knights and one time Merlin took care of Arthur himself.
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Bookmarked by badelynge
26 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
I got so torn up over Arthur's burdens that I kinda teared up a little. Good grief, Arthur... Arthur, just burning up with the yearning for affection from Merlin... GOODNESS THEY. THEY!!!!! OBLITERATE MY PEACE OF MIND IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY <3 Author you know you're just incredible, right ???
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They would pay any price that was asked, Nimueh whispered at the end, trembling with exhaustion, desperate, pleading, anything, anything at all. Just give her this child. Give her the son he stole from her.
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Bookmarked by badelynge
22 Jun 2026
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Considering Arthur's future wife will be chosen less for compatibility than for her political value, Merlin may be the only marriage he'll have that won't end in bloodshed or a great deal of fortifying wine.
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- English
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- 18,199
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- 1/1
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Bookmarked by badelynge
22 Jun 2026
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“You want me to rob a grave?” Merlin asked, appalled.
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- English
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- 7,265
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- 1/1
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Bookmarked by badelynge
21 Jun 2026