"Your destinies were Entwined/Intertwined (not much difference)" -> Canon statement from Gaius

Meaning: When two people get entwined, they see every aspect of each other. Which makes sense because Lancelot and Merlin knew EVERYTHING about each other. They saw each other's true selves and loved each other regardless.

"Bregdan Anweald"

Meaning : "Bregdan Anweald" is equivalent to "to make more powerful" or "to draw power". Lancelot's is Merlin's POWER! He is the one that encourages Merlin to be more confident and himself. He is the one who found out about Merlin and accepted him without question (even if he could have gained Uther's trust by outing him). He is Merlin's pillar/support/source for solace. And these are things that give Merlin strength/power.

"Your secret is safe with me" -> Canon statement from Lancelot

Meaning: Lancelot wanted to be a knight of Camelot. That was his ambition. Once he found out about Merlin's magic, he could have told Uther and be a full knight, since Uther would appreciate a knight against magic. But he CHOOSES NOT TO! He chooses Merlin OVER pleasing the king! Let's also not forget that this is Season 1. Merlin and Lancelot knew each other for about a week, yet Lancelot chooses to keep Merlin's magic a secret. This is the start of a true friendship.

"Lancelot needed you and you needed Lancelot" -> Canon statement from Gaius

Meaning: They needed each other. Lancelot became a Knight/fulfilled his dream thanks to Merlin and Merlin could be himself with Lancelot. Also, had Lancelot lived in season 5, Merlin wouldn't have been so paranoid and magic would have been legalized earlier. And more trouble would have been solved.

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When the boat with Lancelot's body comes to shore, Merlin casts a spells equivalent to "Give calm and peace/stability to this tormented soul" and the real Lancelot returns. He is freed from the torment that Morgana put him through. The chains that connected Lancelot to Morgana broke for Merlin to see his close friend again, even for a little moment.

The way Lancelot looks at Merlin when he says "Merlin. Thank you" indicates pure gratitude. And the way he says it is heartbreaking. It sounds like a whisper, as if Merlin is the only one supposed to hear it. He wants to reassure Merlin that he doesn't blame him for not saving him from Morgana earlier. He doesn't care if Camelot will remember him as an adulterer/traitor. He doesn't care if his sacrifice will be erased from the other people's memories.

Because the sacrifice was for MERLIN. The person who knows the truth about the Shade and freed him from Morgana, even late. The person who will ALWAYS remember the sacrifice he made, despite what everyone else will remember from now on. The person whose secret he promised to keep safe from Uther's regime, the person he sought to keep safe despite how powerful he is. The young man he thought as "the bravest of them all".

This moment is supposed to be for them and ONLY them!!! It's their secret!!! In this moment, Lancelot realizes that he is TRULY LOVED! THAT MERLIN STILL LOVES HIM! HE KNOWS THAT HE IS LOVED!

And Merlin's laughter later on is heartbreaking. Because on one hand, he is sad because he thinks that he failed Lancelot, the person who loved him as he was instead of some God - like saviour and before any prophecy. On the other hand, he is happy because he got to see the real Lancelot again, farewell him properly and share with him a moment that was only for them! A moment where BOTH could be themselves!

THE MOMENT WHEN BOTH OF THEM REALIZED THAT THEY WERE LOVED BY THE OTHER!!!

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MERLIN & LANCELOT + LAST SPELL MINI MERCELOT WEEK 2021 | Day 3: Angst

After some thought, I changed the translation of ‘fæstne’ to ‘stability’ instead of the previous ‘peace’. This is because ‘fæstne‘ bears the meaning of ‘to fasten/stabilise/fortify’. I find it interesting to contrast this to Lancelot’s carving on the round table - ‘scamu’, meaning modesty/shame/dishonour (in the sense of godly shame) - because they are almost antonyms of each other. Lancelot’s modesty, although coming from a place of true goodness, was something that caused him to sacrifice his happiness. In his modesty, he is unable to see the worth he has in other’s eyes. Along with releasing the hold Morgana has on Lancelot’s soul, Merlin’s spell gives Lancelot a chance to see beyond his modesty (perhaps unintentionally, even). That there is Merlin - someone who thought of Lancelot and wrecked himself with guilt over his death (I have thought of you often. Have you thought of me?), someone who has painstakingly covered his funeral boat with fresh flowers and leaves, someone who is now looking at him like he’s something that’s more important than anything. This is why the spell wakes him up: so he can see Merlin’s love and thank him for it, so Lancelot dies with the knowledge that he is loved.

That’s it! That’s the post!

At this point, Lancelot doesn’t care if the entirety of Camelot will remember his as a homewrecker and a traitor from now on. It doesn’t matter! Because he is at peace and stability now! He realizes that he is LOVED and more important than anything to the person he sacrificed himself for. Merlin’s love woke him up for their last goodbye. The love of the person who changed his life forever.

The tragedy is that both the times Lancelot died, the last person he looked at was Merlin. And in both times, his eyes were filled with love. The first time, love was combined with reassurance. The second time, it was with gratitude for being freed from Morgana and for making him realize that he was loved. And this is why he embraces his second death. Because he knows that there is someone who knows the truth behind the Shade. Someone who doesn’t blame him, but loves him and wants him to be at peace.

Lancelot’s first (Run! Run!) and last words (Merlin. Thank you.) were for that boy he had rescued years ago. The said boy who was willing to commit treason for him to be a knight, despite the two of them barely knowing each other. The boy who had magic and helped him defeat the griffin, a secret that he promised and swore in his heart to keep safe. The young man who sent for him when they all needed help. That brave young man who fought by his side. Hell, he had so few memories with Merlin and he blames himself for it. Because he had left him, how many times? But those moments with Merlin would be carved in his heart for eternity. Gods, he wished he could have more of those moments.

But he has to go. Again! And he hates it. But he won’t show that feeling. He will be the noble man that Merlin had believed in when they first met and accept the gift of calm and stability that Merlin was offering him with tears in his eyes. He will close his eyes and let the Lady of the Lake take him in her embrace, hoping that he will see Merlin again… In another life…

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@camelotsheart Thank you! Your words inspired me! ❤️❤️❤️

Two lovers people who exchange heart eyes and smile at each other while their future king is speaking

If anyone has a fic idea to recommend, they are welcome to open up. In this house, we accept opinions! 🥰

And these are their songs… If anyone recommends any other song for those two, please DM or comment!

arthur looking back at lancelot after their fight with the sticks before running off to an unknown threat. turning back to give him an unreadable look, despite a looming danger and amidst all that panic........... losing my marbles as we speak why did he do that WHY did he DO THAT

Say what you want about Arthur as a king but at least he wasn’t as bad at it as Carleon was

Op's tags:

if you could choose one character to have a whole episode about their backstory who would you pick and why is it nimueh

obsessed with the idea of gwaine merlin and gwen being a daisy chain making trio

@gremlinbehaviour i see this and raise you Lancelot lying in the grass enjoying the sun while the other three are going fully insane with the daises and covering him in daisy chains while he just lies there smiling like 'this might as well happen. gwaine please do not put daisies in my mouth'

Remember when Merlin had a brief moment of realization that they were adaptating the Arthurian legends and had completely forgotten about the actual sword in the stone so they shoehorned it in in the least smooth sequence of events in the series and rolled with it

actually these belong here

actually 4.05 is so funny bc in the tent scene where arthur tells the knights that he will be the one to fight their faces are various degrees of "what the fuck. what the FUCK. what the fuckity fuck fuck fuck. are you kidding me? are you KIDDING ME? youre the FUCKING KING YOU CANT DIE???" like

LIKE LOOK AT ELYAN HE LOOKS SO FUCKING DONE. HES SO DONE WITH HIM. LEON LOOKS BACK AT MERLIN AS IF TO BE LIKE "IS HE FUCKING SERIOUS?" AND WHEN MERLIN DOESNT SAY ITS A JOKE HES LIKE "OF FUCKING COURSE HE IS"

LIKE THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH SO MUCH SHIT FROM ARTHUR JCDNSKJDNS

AND MERLIN THE POOR DUDE IS JUST LIKE

"OF COURSE HE IS. WHAT DID I EXPECT? OF FUCKING COURSE HE WOULD PICK HIMSELF. THIS MOTHERFUCKER. "

like their one job is protect arthur - that theyve dedicated their lives to - and at EVERY CHANCE THIS DUMB MOTHERFUCKER IS LIKE "MMMM TIME TO TEST MY LUCK AGAIN LOLZ!!"

Been thinking about how I would do BBC Merlin differently and honestly, I think Gaius should have died at the beginning of series 4, not Lancelot.

Series 4 really should have been the season for the changing of the old guard, not just for Arthur but Merlin as well. Uther and Gaius have been constant forces in these two young men’s lives series 1-3, arguably to the detriment of Merlin’s and Arthur’s shared destiny. During that time, they’ve reinforced that fear and self-preservation should be Merlin’s and Arthur’s sole motivators, that great change isn’t worth the risk.

Gaius knows what Uther is doing is wrong, but he rarely takes any action to stop the king’s carnage unless Merlin insists that they intervene or Merlin’s own life is on the line. As Kilgharrah states as early as 1x06 Gaius, often turns “a blind eye,” “struggle[s] against (Merlin’s) destiny” and his main characteristics, besides his wisdom and wit, are that he is cowardly and unchanging. This not only impedes Merlin’s progress, but it makes Gaius’ role as a character mostly useless in terms of servicing the plot, especially once Merlin becomes more and more knowledgeable about magic; he has an easy mastery of his abilities by series 4. Beyond filling in as the father Merlin never got to have (RIP Balinor), Gaius doesn’t do much.

Arthur and Merlin losing the most important elders in their lives around the same time would have been an excellent parallel that would have reinforced that coin metaphor, and their shared grief would have brought them closer together than ever. It would have also expanded a lot of story opportunities for Merlin (for instance, does he have to give up being Arthur’s servant to become the Court Physician, or does a new character take on the role?)

In argument of Lancelot staying alive: Lancelot, on the other hand, perfectly represents the radical change Camelot needs to see. He’s a knight who didn’t come from a royal family, and he accepts magic wholeheartedly from his first encounter with it. He knows that magic can be both a force for good and evil; he implicitly understands that its users have nuance, just like all warriors. His perspective as a non-magic user and a trusted friend of Arthur’s would have been invaluable to Arthur accepting Merlin’s magic and, more importantly, the potential for magic to be used as a force of good.

There’s a number of fascinating dynamics you could have established between Lancelot and the rest of the Knights as well, not just his relationships with Arthur, Merlin and Guinevere. It also cuts out the possibility of 4x09 happening, which in my book, is only a good thing considering how shoddily Lancelot’s resurrection was handled.

This isn’t to say that Gaius was necessarily a bad person, but there’s no arguing his advice led to a score of Merlin’s terrible decisions, when if Merlin had trusted his gut instinct, things probably would have turned out at least a little better for him.

Tldr: If we wanted to see Arthur and Merlin grow into their destiny together, they both had to lose their problematic mentors who were keeping them rooted in the past.

@and-damntheconsequences​ why do you always hide brilliant commentary in the tags???

@colorofmymindposts​ You are absolutely right about all of this. We were ROBBED of more Lancelot content, especially in regards to the dynamic between him and Merlin, him and Arthur, and him and the other knights.

There's also something to be said about the idea that Gaius (who defended Uther past anything he deserved), would never see Arthur as King, if he'd died around the same time at Lancelot. Him keeping Uther on the throne through Merlin would have been the last thing he knew, because he'd never see Arthur in true power. And Lancelot, who was never there for Uther, only for Merlin and Arthur, would get to see the newer kingdom that he played a role in building — it was HIM after all, that first challenged Arthur's ideas of knighthood.

"i am who i am and i am who i was and i am who i will always be" is such a good deep fucking quote and the fact that it was said grumpily by a treasonous little warlock cosplaying as an old man never fails to make my day

you guys ever think about how lancelot died for merlin because he was "more important than anything" and when lancelot's shade came back and merlin realized it wasn't him he was so miserable because he wished it had been him "more than anything" i need to sit down

You know what would have been hilarious?

Since Lancelot and Gwaine were cage fighters, they might have fought one another during their career so when Lancelot shows up again. They both look at one another and are like, “You?!”

And then Merlin slightly panics, “ You two know each other?!”

And they look back at each other, “You know Merlin!”

valiant episode is funny if u think about the fact that. the dog statue was supposedly never in any way alive before merlin used his spell....... so merlin did not in fact need to be right abt the snakes for that plan to work...... like ok merlin speaking the truth was an important aspect of the ep however im LOSING it at the idea of this guy valiant not even cheating but just being fucking insufferable and merlin being like..... ugh what a creep i cant stand him :/ ..... are those depictions of snakes on his shield ? 👀 inchresting..... omg im a genius HAHA get fucked

lancelot and merlin: intimacy at first sight

because we actually never see them sleeping together in the same bed, but I doubt lancelot would take the bed for himself and leave merlin on the floor. maybe they're comfortable with sharing because they're both peasants and are used to it? Maybe lancelot slept on a pallet on the floor? let's take a look at 1x05

IT ALL STARTS HERE:

they put him in the patient's bed when he is hurt, which makes sense since gaius is treating him. the wound is not serious, so lancelot is no danger. he can leave the patient's bed. that's normal, right? are we clear that merlin's room and merlin's bed is merlin's, he doesn't have to put anyone in there if he doesn't want to? ok, moving on

LET'S GO TO YOUR ROOM, I NEED TO TALK ABOUT MY BACKSTORY

they have the "i've always wanted to be a knight" conversation, they're in merlin's room, which tbqh it's ABSOLUTELY unnecessary for the plot. they could have talked back in gaius' workplace. except maybe if the writers wanted to put emphasis in their budding intimacy

THERE IS ONLY ONE BED??

later, after gaius explains the first rule of the knights' code, lancelot is crushed, and they retire to merlin's room for the night. merlin is even lighting the candles. oh and look! do you see any blankets on the floor? a pallet? nope, nada.

THEY SLEPT TOGETHER FROM THE BEGINNING.

_____

@donttouchtheneednoggle here have the results of me rewatching 1x05

[Image ID 1: (All images from BBC’s Merlin.) Lancelot, Gaius, and Merlin reside in Gaius and Merlin’s chambers/work space. The lighting is warm and the room is cluttered. Lancelot sleeps in the patient’s bed which is center scene, Gaius sitting bedside tending to him and Merlin standing just next to Gaius, gazing at the scene.

ID 2: We’re in Merlin’s room now, which branches just off of the last described room. We’re to Merlin’s back, who is sitting — sitting on his single bed, I think. Lancelot is turned towards the open window (which streams in daylight), but is gazing back at Merlin. His arms are crossed, and he gazes at the man with what I believe to be curiously.

ID 3: We’re in Merlin’s room again, but the lighting has lessened. While daylight still comes in from that same open window (which Lancelot still stands by), it doesn’t fill the room as fully as it did before. Merlin is focused on holding a match to the candle just in front of our view, while Lancelot stands behind him at the aforementioned window, gazing down at his own folded hands thoughtfully. End ID]