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crack_van2013-08-29 11:16 pm
tassosss.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2013-08-29 11:16 pm
Realms by cat_77 (R)
Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: pre-slash: Arthur/Merlin, tiny bit of het: Gwen/Lancelot
Length: ~45,000 words
Author on LJ:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cat_77
Author Website: cat_77 on AO3
Why this must be read:
Realms is a fantastic what-if wrapped in an alternate universe. A portal has opened in Gauis's rooms and Merlin has been crossing into an alternate Camelot - one where Ygraine survived and the Purge never happened. The Camelot there is drastically different from the one Merlin lives in, and yet, the similarities too are striking. What this story does so well is follow the points of divergence all the way through, with excellent world building and fully fleshed out characters. At the same time, the Merlin and Arthur that we know are at the heart of the story.
***
Arthur pondered that for a moment, thumb to his lip, before he asked, “Is it you?”
That was not what Merlin was expecting. He managed a squawked, “What?” in reply and fumbled the quill he had just picked up again, leaving more than a slight smear of ink behind.
“Is the person you are writing to yourself?” Arthur repeated. “Is it the other you, the you from that realm? You said ‘she’ before, but you could be attempting to mislead me or it is possible someone else is working for the other you.”
“Yes, Arthur, I am writing to myself,” Merlin said, disbelievingly. He shook his head before Arthur could cut in again. “Why would I hide that from you?”
“I won’t hold it against you if the other you happened to be cursed with magic, you know. Both you and that James repeatedly tried to convince me things are quite different there,” Arthur pointed out. “I don’t quite fully believe you regarding these differences, and likely will not until I can see it with my own eyes, but would like to place a name and possibly a face to this mysterious person I am supposed to blindly trust. I trust you, relatively so, and would extend that trust conditionally to the other you as well, at least until proven otherwise.”
The fact that Arthur claimed to trust him warmed Merlin’s heart. The fact he was so clearly wrong with his guess made Merlin want to laugh. The fact that he used the phrase “cursed with magic” made Merlin squirm, so he called the others a wash and replied simply, “It is not me, I can promise you that much.”
Arthur frowned as though disappointed by this knowledge. “Have you met the other you there? Perhaps if you can spot the differences between yourself and him, it will give us, and by us I mean me, something to go off of as to how the people there stack up against the people here.”
Merlin saw a glimmer of hope in his gaze, and knew Arthur wanted a reason to trust, wanted a reason to believe that this was actually a safe option, that he needed to go against a lifetime of being taught magic was evil as was anyone remotely associated with it, that he could trust a poor servant and not the word of his king or his advisors on this matter. Unfortunately, Merlin did not have the means to give him this reassurance at this time. He knew it was safe, but had no way of convincing Arthur of this fact. He could lie, say there was another man identical to him on the other side who promised him so many splendid things and they all come true, but Merlin felt that rather went against that whole trust thing that was being offered and could not bring himself to do so.
Instead, Merlin answered honestly, “There is no me on the other side, just as there is no you. Some things are different, and we happen to be two of the most obvious of these changes.”
***
Realms
Pairing: pre-slash: Arthur/Merlin, tiny bit of het: Gwen/Lancelot
Length: ~45,000 words
Author on LJ:
cat_77Author Website: cat_77 on AO3
Why this must be read:
Realms is a fantastic what-if wrapped in an alternate universe. A portal has opened in Gauis's rooms and Merlin has been crossing into an alternate Camelot - one where Ygraine survived and the Purge never happened. The Camelot there is drastically different from the one Merlin lives in, and yet, the similarities too are striking. What this story does so well is follow the points of divergence all the way through, with excellent world building and fully fleshed out characters. At the same time, the Merlin and Arthur that we know are at the heart of the story.
***
Arthur pondered that for a moment, thumb to his lip, before he asked, “Is it you?”
That was not what Merlin was expecting. He managed a squawked, “What?” in reply and fumbled the quill he had just picked up again, leaving more than a slight smear of ink behind.
“Is the person you are writing to yourself?” Arthur repeated. “Is it the other you, the you from that realm? You said ‘she’ before, but you could be attempting to mislead me or it is possible someone else is working for the other you.”
“Yes, Arthur, I am writing to myself,” Merlin said, disbelievingly. He shook his head before Arthur could cut in again. “Why would I hide that from you?”
“I won’t hold it against you if the other you happened to be cursed with magic, you know. Both you and that James repeatedly tried to convince me things are quite different there,” Arthur pointed out. “I don’t quite fully believe you regarding these differences, and likely will not until I can see it with my own eyes, but would like to place a name and possibly a face to this mysterious person I am supposed to blindly trust. I trust you, relatively so, and would extend that trust conditionally to the other you as well, at least until proven otherwise.”
The fact that Arthur claimed to trust him warmed Merlin’s heart. The fact he was so clearly wrong with his guess made Merlin want to laugh. The fact that he used the phrase “cursed with magic” made Merlin squirm, so he called the others a wash and replied simply, “It is not me, I can promise you that much.”
Arthur frowned as though disappointed by this knowledge. “Have you met the other you there? Perhaps if you can spot the differences between yourself and him, it will give us, and by us I mean me, something to go off of as to how the people there stack up against the people here.”
Merlin saw a glimmer of hope in his gaze, and knew Arthur wanted a reason to trust, wanted a reason to believe that this was actually a safe option, that he needed to go against a lifetime of being taught magic was evil as was anyone remotely associated with it, that he could trust a poor servant and not the word of his king or his advisors on this matter. Unfortunately, Merlin did not have the means to give him this reassurance at this time. He knew it was safe, but had no way of convincing Arthur of this fact. He could lie, say there was another man identical to him on the other side who promised him so many splendid things and they all come true, but Merlin felt that rather went against that whole trust thing that was being offered and could not bring himself to do so.
Instead, Merlin answered honestly, “There is no me on the other side, just as there is no you. Some things are different, and we happen to be two of the most obvious of these changes.”
***
Realms