leodragon1

I've just discovered that my brain twin (aka nachekana) and I have a mutual love of a relatively new fandom - BBC's Merlin, and the pairing of Arthur/Merlin. Yay yay! And it was my BBF dominiondreams who got me onto the Merlin bandwagon in the first place. *smish!* Since that's two people I know that are into it, I've decided to rec my favorite stories so far, and spread the love.

Note: Most of these fics are of the longish persuasion, which is my preferred reading.

The Crown of the Summer Court
"The king sent me to get you," Merlin said, with a tone that implied strongly that he wasn't rolling his eyes where Arthur could see, but just wait until his back was turned. "He said you're to get changed into formal clothes and meet him in the Great Hall, there's a delegation coming from the Summer Court."
I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say that it's about elves, and challenges and Arthur being an impulsive prat. After you've finished reading this one, go and read all the other Merlin fics by astolat, especially Favorite, where Arthur and Merlin can't keep their hands off each other. *chortles*

Truth is a Whisper
Words can also be mightier than the sword
I really love Arthur in this one, who struggles against a different kind of enemy, and Merlin, with his loyalty to his prince. I've read it three times already. Again, once you've read this one, go and read all the other Merlin fics written by seperis. You'll be v.v. happy.

Three Tasks
Arthur is the Royal Arbiter for Suitable Suitors' Disputes. He (and his trusty companion, the golden-dragon-tasselled hat) alone can determine who is fit to woo royal servants and other assorted courtiers in Uther's court.
This is not as cracky as it sounds. The first part has Arthur mediate a dispute, and in the second part, Arthur has to mediate a dispute that Merlin is involved in. How does he feel about that, and does he go with duty, or love? I love how it plays out.


The above fics were set in the same kind of Camelot as in the show. But I have to also mention the ones that are complete AUs, but still give us the Arthur and Merlin we know and love:

Drastically Redefining Protocol
In which Prince Arthur of Wales meets Merlin Emrys of Windmill Hill, and all hell promptly breaks loose.
This is a modern day AU, and it's been recced everywhere already. It contains awesome banter between Arthur and Merlin, much like canon, as well as being a wonderfully funny story. I love it to bits. It has four extra stories after it as well. Not as long as the first one, sadly, but some are v.v. porny *g*

Two Weeks Notice
As you might have guessed, this is based on the movie Two Weeks Notice with Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. I wasn't that impressed with the movie, but I LOVE this version so much! Miles better, with spot on characterisations. Arthur works for his father at Pendragon Corporation where Merlin becomes his long-suffering assistant. My kind of romantic comedy.

Lovestruck
Modern London AU. On the day that Arthur swore he'd never take the tube again, he met a student called Merlin.
I'm really fond of this one, it's just so sweet and funny with a prat!Arthur and a bemused Merlin. I think what I love most about it is Arthur's pursuit of Merlin, almost despite himself.

The Pendragon Guide to How Not to Date
Morgana sends Arthur on some blind dates that don’t go quite according to plan.
I love how Merlin and Arthur meet in this one. This is another one I love to read again and again.


Okay, I never used to read RPS, and I still don't for the most part. The only guys I ever wanted to read was Jared/Jensen. And now I'm suddenly into Colin/Bradley. It's a slippery slope.

(For the uninitiated, Colin Morgan plays Merlin, Bradley James play Arthur, and they both seem to be lovely boys by all accounts. Not fair.)

Teaching the Indie Kids to Joust Again
This is how it starts off: The thing with Bradley starts (more or less) in broad daylight one afternoon three hours into filming a scene where they have to climb a giant beanstalk.
Yes, I like my fics dashed with humour. I like it even better when there's teasing and gay epiphanies too.

And Nobody Wears a Crown
A story about a summer in France, in which Bradley finds himself intrigued by Irish names, Colin reads a lot, Angel and Katie are their usual innocent selves, and a few moments change everything.
A bit more angst in this one, but very much enjoyable nonetheless.

These are where I discovered most of the fics above, with plenty more I haven't mentioned:
Merlin Trope, AU, Crossover, RPF fic recs
Born to Crash and Burn

Plus some communities you have to check out:
The Merlin Big Bang Challenge
Reel BBC Merlin
Merlin_Finders

Enjoy! And now I think I'll read one of these stories again. *trots off*