Still The New World by normalhumanbein (R)

[sajee.livejournal.com]

Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Length: 5, 595
Author on LJ: normalhumanbein
Author Website: merlin fic tag
Why this must be read:

You need to read this fic because
a) it is awesome
b) this Lady of the Lake is pretty much the greatest characterisation you'll ever read.

I love the interactions between Merlin and the Lady and I love the different Arthurs we get to see in this fic.

In my opinion, this is one of the best "Merlin waits for Arthur through time" fics because the world in each section is so well constructed, the writing is beautiful and the boys! *draws hearts around them*

"Get off," she says. "Christ. What was that for?" She shoves him, and Merlin has to kick to keep from going under, windmill his arms in the water in an attempt to keep afloat. The girl, though - the girl is still, effortlessly so, and Merlin has to concede that unless she's got a foot stuck in a shopping trolley, she's probably not going to need his help.

"My Lady?"

"Who do you think?" The Lady of the Lake glares at him again, then coughs wetly. A strand of reed or weed or something is hanging from her bottom lip. She frowns down at it and tugs. "Who else'd still be watching the boy?"

Not Merlin, apparently. "Arthur's here?"

The Lady tilts her head back, sticks two fingers down her throat and, with a strangled retching sound which ranks high on Merlin's list of things he plans to forget, pulls a tangled lump of green matter out of her throat. "Urgh," she says. And then, "He's stealing your shoes."

"He. Who?"

"Arthur," she says, nodding toward the bank. "And your phone."

Merlin flounders round just in time to see some scraggy-looking blond boy scooping up his things from the towpath. "Oi!" He shouts. "Hey! You can't just-” He tries to reach for the bank, grab fistfuls of the long grass there to pull himself up with, but every handful uproots itself from the mud as soon as he puts any weight on it.

"Ta very much for this," the boy says as he tucks Merlin's coat under his arm. He doesn't sound much like Arthur but his smirk is exactly the same. "Cheers." He gives a funny gesture, part salute and part wave, and jogs off down the bank.

Still The New World