The Sorcerer and the King

The Sorcerer and the King is a Merlin/Arthur story by misswinterhill (~85,000 words). It was written for Paperlegends, the Merlin Big Bang challenge in 2010. 
Summary: Canon AU -- Merlin's death is only the beginning; with no-one to protect the kingdom, Camelot falls to an enemy sorcerer and Arthur is forced to serve in the court that he once ruled. When an escape attempt goes horribly wrong, Arthur is rescued by someone he never expected to see again -- and it's their destiny to put things right. 
 
The art for this story was created by lukita. It shows Merlin's journey for the first part of the fic. All the scenes happen offscreen in the story. The artist notes say, "It was a conscious decision to cover or show only a part of Merlin's face since he's suppose to be whispered rumors and stories that Arthur over hears."lukita. Art for Merlin BigBang, 03 September 2010. (Accessed 10 October 2010)
==Recs and Reviews==
*"Completely wonderful & absorbing story--I loved how it began with Arthur failing his grand test, letting Merlin burn for sorcery and destiny is thrown askew, re-aligning slowly to a new reality that (YAY YAY YAY) follows traditional narratives of Arthurian legend: Arthur as the hidden king, pretending to be a servant; Gwen leaving him for Lancelot (but not in the shattering way that begets the fall of Camelot); pulling the sword from the stone! I'm a huge nerd for Arthurian myths so this made me very, very happy. Though my favorite part is the emotional narrative of Arthur learning from his initial mistake -- how he came to realize the horror of letting Merlin burn, the guilt and sadness, and wanting Merlin's forgiveness, only to stand with him in the end, having learned his lesson that he can't live without Merlin by his side. Always and forever."ladyagnew. Comment, 04 September 2010. (Accessed 10 October 2010)
*"Merlin is burned at the stake; the kingdom falls to an evil sorcerer, Arthur is enslaved - and that's when things get interesting. Merlin/Arthur."giandujakiss. I have to break off reading and I'm only about halfway through, 27 September 2010. (Accessed 10 October 2010)
*"This one's become a particular favorite, I loved the beginning, the role reversal between Arthur and Merlin, the build up to their relationship, the whole political situation, and yeah... I just loved the entire thing!"bluejeans07. Comment, 06 September 2010. (Accessed 10 October 2010)
*"Merlin is executed by Uther and Arthur doesn't stop him. But that's only the beginning! Sorcerers take over Camelot and enslave Arthur, because they have no defense against magic. But? What's that? There's a mysteriously powerful sorcerer from the North interested in Camelot and Pendragons in particular? Hmmmm. An instant fandom classic from the 2010 Paper Legends Big Bang; long, plotty and beautifully written."jasmasson in crack_van. The Sorcerer and the King, 22 October 2011. (Accessed 29 October 2011)
==Characterization==
Some fans said that they weren't sure if I they could read a story with an Arthur who originally does nothing to save Merlin but others remarked that "After watching S3, I've ended up thinking the author was more insightful about the character than we knew. Arthur not being proactive about halting Merlin's arrest is actually much more believable for me now than the other type of stories, where he does some crazy heroic rescue."Day Seven - User's Choice (Fanfic recs), 23/24 November 2010. See discussion in the comments. (Accessed 14 December 2010)
==Adaptations==
AnalystProductions made a vid adaptation of the sad and tragic beginning of the story.analyst_1. The Sorcerer & The King, LiveJournal: 27 February 2011. (Accessed 27 February 2011)
Vidding notes: "Arthur deals with his emotions on having to watch Merlin burn on the pyre and Gwen leaves Camelot, believing that no-one can truly be safe anymore after this terrible deed. This video is all about the internal struggle of Arthur, drawing back on memories of his time with Merlin. -- I am planning to do a follow-up video which involves more of the story, but right now, I wanted to focus on the introduction. There are hints at what's to come within this video though :)"AnalystProductions. The Sorcerer and The King { Merlin & Arthur }, YouTube: 27 February 2011. (Accessed 27 February 2011)
==References==
Category:Merlin Fanfiction
Category:Merlin Vids
Category:2010 Fanfiction‎