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This is probably the slashiest of all the episodes so far which, believe me, is really saying something. I went overboard so beware when you click the cut. 80 something pics.
Images capped by me and are free for anyone to take.


We start the episode shouting, 'Look out, Merlin, it's Nimueh!' At least I did. In my head.

Merlin is obviously attracted to her, which I assume will spell trouble in the future. Ha ha, see what I did there?

She's posing as a servant to King Bayard, who is visiting to seal a treaty between his own kingdom and Camelot.

'What a pong!' Merlin must wash Arthur's clobber for the celebration feast.

He must also dress him. Anyone else reminded of Ianto helping Jack into his greatcoat (and, omg, I just typed 'greatgoat')? Notice, though, how Merlin isn't nearly as happy about it as Ianto.

Arthur will make it up to him, by inviting him to the feast (as a servant, of course, must keep up appearances) and by giving him ceremonial robes to wear. See, I hear 'ceremonial robes' and I think 'sex robes'. Four years of slash will do that to you.

Uh, not quite what I had in mind.

He's sacrificed a blow job for this, but it was totally worth it.

This bit makes me LOL. The 'handmaiden' has informed Merlin that Bayard has poisoned Arthur's goblet (which is a lie because it was her, the fricking bitch). So we cut to the toast to the union of the two kingdoms and Arthur trying to drink but having to stop every time someone adds to the speech. I don't know if it's meant to be a tense moment, but I keep thinking, 'That's happened to me! How embarrassing!'

And in rushes Merlin to snatch the cup from Arthur's grasp. I hear the Indiana Jones music in my head at this point.

Obviously, everyone thinks Merlin is off his trolley. Cue another lovers' spat.

Uther demands that Merlin drinks from the goblet and risk death.

'Fuck! Damnable damnation!' Arthur says he'll do it. The two lovers argue over who is going to drink the poison, which is so cute and just adds to my belief that true love is here present.

Merlin is the loudest swallower I've ever heard in my life. I can only imagine those blow jobs he gives Arthur.

Uh-oh.

Arthur is understandably worried. Pubic hair or poison?

Poison.

Arthur lunges for him and climbs on top.

Things are rather serious at this point. Merlin is out cold and Arthur gives him a fireman's lift back home.

Gauis explains that an antidote can only be made from the leaves of the mortaeus flower which can only be found in some caves beyond the Forest of Balor. If Merlin is not cured, he will die. For Arthur, there is no choice.

But Uther disagrees.

He forbids Arthur from going. It's beneath a future king, apparently.Cunt. Unpleasant man.

But does it matter what his father thinks? Sometimes you have to do what's right and fuck the consequences. I think this is a hint of something coming from Morgana in future eps.

She's right, though, and Arthur knows it. He knows he must save Merlin.

MUST SAVE WOOBIE!

Clippety clop and awaaaaaaaay!!

And awaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I have a thing for this horse. No, not a sexual thing. I'm just pathetically pleased that I made the important decision in my second Merlin fic that Arthur would have a brown horse, and I was right. Ha! I called him Tiresis and I think I'll stick to that until we get a canon name.

Anyway, I've digressed. Arthur has arrived at the caves and he finds a battered servant girl and a dinosaur. He unsheathes his sword nice and quick. For the dinosaur, obviously.

EEEP! DINOSAUR! WHERE IS SAM NEILL?!?!

It's okay, Arthur slays it and still looks pretty.

He stops to consult the horse. 'Do you think they'll be any velociraptors? They got it wrong, you know. A velociraptor is six feet long, not six feet high. What an embarrassing mistake.'

The servant girl leads Arthur into the caves because apparently she knows them, despite claiming earlier that she'd become lost. Keep up, blondie. She ain't no servant.

And before he knows it, he's dangling on the edge of a precipice about to die. Doh!

Also there is a giant spider that wants to eat him, and there can be nothing good about that. By the way, it's quite difficult to cap when you're trying to clamber out of your chair. Damn spider.

It's so dark. How will Arthur find his way? Even while on the edge of death, Merlin knows Arthur is in trouble and that he must help him.

Glowy! That ball represents the love Merlin has for Arthur. Love will find the way.

Oooh, shiny. That would have been the point I let go of the ledge, totally distracted by the shiny thing. But not Arthur! What follows is some delicious grunting and sweating:




He gets the mortaeus flower, but is decended upon by hundreds of giant spiders. No spiders capped because I was too busy trying not to abandon my own skin.

Arthur keeps climbing, guided by Merlin's love, and his stomach because it's way past his teatime.

'Faster! Move faster!' Do I need to say anything here? Feel free to discuss this. It has to be deliberate.




He made it!

And now his stunt double arrives back at the castle.

Arthur is to be arrested, orders from King Uther!

But do not fear! We get Arthur in a dungeon with hand on hip. Very sexy.

Hello chest. You're slightly hairy and I love you. I never liked hairy chests until I discovered the SGA fandom and fell in love with the carpeted John Sheppard.

'But, Father, I found it.'

Unfortunately, Uther crushes the flower and walks away, leaving Arthur behind bars.

I love this shot. It really represents something, I think. Uther could have just left the flower crushed in the cell, but Arthur has to reach out for it, and I think that's deliberate. It's him pushing himself beyond what Uther and his kingdom expect him to be, and the cause of it all is Merlin.




I got a bit serious up there so I thought some pretty shots would make up for it. Gwen's got the flower now, btw, after some very cheesy acting by Arthur. He's so pretty, but he can't lie for shit.

Antidote time! Morteaus leaves plus boomslang skin, powdered bicorn horn, fluxweed ... Points to any potions experts who recognise what those ingredients make minus the Mortaeus leaves ;o)

Gaius does a sneaky spell! 'Denoom effta durma. Drinka glassy cup of tea.'

Swallow, Merlin. We know you can.

Oh dear, we killed him. And resuscitation hasn't been invented yet. Bugger.

Meeep.

'Euw, that's practically necrophilia!'

He's alive! Yays!

Gwen invents resuscitation ready for next time.


I love the way Arthur's hair goes all windswept. He's got beautiful hair. I reckon Merlin loves to stroke it. We need a whole genre of hair-stroking fics. Someone write me one! Also, I swing widly between loving and hating Uther.


Right at the end of the ep, Arthur visits Merlin, which in itself is a big thing because what kind of prince visits his manseravnt?

Then the slash becomes apparent. There are looks, hand placement, Arthur's overly casual demeanour badly disguising his worry. Told you he was a sucky liar.





Arthur has beautiful hands. For anyone who hasn't watched the show yet, Merlin bows his head and kisses Arthur's hands. Now, doesn't that make you want to watch it?
(Disclaimer: This picspam may contain stuff that happened only in my head.)

That's the expression of a man who wants your head in the freezer. When freezers are invented.
I shall leave you with the tiny exchange at the very end, where Arthur and Merlin thank each other. The question is, does Arthur know about Merlin's magic? Does he know it was Merlin who guided him through the cave?




~Fin
Images capped by me and are free for anyone to take.


We start the episode shouting, 'Look out, Merlin, it's Nimueh!' At least I did. In my head.

Merlin is obviously attracted to her, which I assume will spell trouble in the future. Ha ha, see what I did there?

She's posing as a servant to King Bayard, who is visiting to seal a treaty between his own kingdom and Camelot.

'What a pong!' Merlin must wash Arthur's clobber for the celebration feast.

He must also dress him. Anyone else reminded of Ianto helping Jack into his greatcoat (and, omg, I just typed 'greatgoat')? Notice, though, how Merlin isn't nearly as happy about it as Ianto.

Arthur will make it up to him, by inviting him to the feast (as a servant, of course, must keep up appearances) and by giving him ceremonial robes to wear. See, I hear 'ceremonial robes' and I think 'sex robes'. Four years of slash will do that to you.

Uh, not quite what I had in mind.

He's sacrificed a blow job for this, but it was totally worth it.

This bit makes me LOL. The 'handmaiden' has informed Merlin that Bayard has poisoned Arthur's goblet (which is a lie because it was her, the fricking bitch). So we cut to the toast to the union of the two kingdoms and Arthur trying to drink but having to stop every time someone adds to the speech. I don't know if it's meant to be a tense moment, but I keep thinking, 'That's happened to me! How embarrassing!'

And in rushes Merlin to snatch the cup from Arthur's grasp. I hear the Indiana Jones music in my head at this point.

Obviously, everyone thinks Merlin is off his trolley. Cue another lovers' spat.

Uther demands that Merlin drinks from the goblet and risk death.

'

Merlin is the loudest swallower I've ever heard in my life. I can only imagine those blow jobs he gives Arthur.

Uh-oh.

Arthur is understandably worried. Pubic hair or poison?

Poison.

Arthur lunges for him and climbs on top.

Things are rather serious at this point. Merlin is out cold and Arthur gives him a fireman's lift back home.

Gauis explains that an antidote can only be made from the leaves of the mortaeus flower which can only be found in some caves beyond the Forest of Balor. If Merlin is not cured, he will die. For Arthur, there is no choice.

But Uther disagrees.

He forbids Arthur from going. It's beneath a future king, apparently.

But does it matter what his father thinks? Sometimes you have to do what's right and fuck the consequences. I think this is a hint of something coming from Morgana in future eps.

She's right, though, and Arthur knows it. He knows he must save Merlin.

MUST SAVE WOOBIE!

Clippety clop and awaaaaaaaay!!

And awaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

I have a thing for this horse. No, not a sexual thing. I'm just pathetically pleased that I made the important decision in my second Merlin fic that Arthur would have a brown horse, and I was right. Ha! I called him Tiresis and I think I'll stick to that until we get a canon name.

Anyway, I've digressed. Arthur has arrived at the caves and he finds a battered servant girl and a dinosaur. He unsheathes his sword nice and quick. For the dinosaur, obviously.

EEEP! DINOSAUR! WHERE IS SAM NEILL?!?!

It's okay, Arthur slays it and still looks pretty.

He stops to consult the horse. 'Do you think they'll be any velociraptors? They got it wrong, you know. A velociraptor is six feet long, not six feet high. What an embarrassing mistake.'

The servant girl leads Arthur into the caves because apparently she knows them, despite claiming earlier that she'd become lost. Keep up, blondie. She ain't no servant.

And before he knows it, he's dangling on the edge of a precipice about to die. Doh!

Also there is a giant spider that wants to eat him, and there can be nothing good about that. By the way, it's quite difficult to cap when you're trying to clamber out of your chair. Damn spider.

It's so dark. How will Arthur find his way? Even while on the edge of death, Merlin knows Arthur is in trouble and that he must help him.

Glowy! That ball represents the love Merlin has for Arthur. Love will find the way.

Oooh, shiny. That would have been the point I let go of the ledge, totally distracted by the shiny thing. But not Arthur! What follows is some delicious grunting and sweating:




He gets the mortaeus flower, but is decended upon by hundreds of giant spiders. No spiders capped because I was too busy trying not to abandon my own skin.

Arthur keeps climbing, guided by Merlin's love, and his stomach because it's way past his teatime.

'Faster! Move faster!' Do I need to say anything here? Feel free to discuss this. It has to be deliberate.




He made it!

And now his stunt double arrives back at the castle.

Arthur is to be arrested, orders from King Uther!

But do not fear! We get Arthur in a dungeon with hand on hip. Very sexy.

Hello chest. You're slightly hairy and I love you. I never liked hairy chests until I discovered the SGA fandom and fell in love with the carpeted John Sheppard.

'But, Father, I found it.'

Unfortunately, Uther crushes the flower and walks away, leaving Arthur behind bars.

I love this shot. It really represents something, I think. Uther could have just left the flower crushed in the cell, but Arthur has to reach out for it, and I think that's deliberate. It's him pushing himself beyond what Uther and his kingdom expect him to be, and the cause of it all is Merlin.




I got a bit serious up there so I thought some pretty shots would make up for it. Gwen's got the flower now, btw, after some very cheesy acting by Arthur. He's so pretty, but he can't lie for shit.

Antidote time! Morteaus leaves plus boomslang skin, powdered bicorn horn, fluxweed ... Points to any potions experts who recognise what those ingredients make minus the Mortaeus leaves ;o)

Gaius does a sneaky spell! 'Denoom effta durma. Drinka glassy cup of tea.'

Swallow, Merlin. We know you can.

Oh dear, we killed him. And resuscitation hasn't been invented yet. Bugger.

Meeep.

'Euw, that's practically necrophilia!'

He's alive! Yays!

Gwen invents resuscitation ready for next time.


I love the way Arthur's hair goes all windswept. He's got beautiful hair. I reckon Merlin loves to stroke it. We need a whole genre of hair-stroking fics. Someone write me one! Also, I swing widly between loving and hating Uther.


Right at the end of the ep, Arthur visits Merlin, which in itself is a big thing because what kind of prince visits his manseravnt?

Then the slash becomes apparent. There are looks, hand placement, Arthur's overly casual demeanour badly disguising his worry. Told you he was a sucky liar.





Arthur has beautiful hands. For anyone who hasn't watched the show yet, Merlin bows his head and kisses Arthur's hands. Now, doesn't that make you want to watch it?
(Disclaimer: This picspam may contain stuff that happened only in my head.)

That's the expression of a man who wants your head in the freezer. When freezers are invented.
I shall leave you with the tiny exchange at the very end, where Arthur and Merlin thank each other. The question is, does Arthur know about Merlin's magic? Does he know it was Merlin who guided him through the cave?




~Fin
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 07:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:10 pm (UTC)That's just a pretty gift wrapped up in a bow, right there.
LOL! That it is, a gift to the slashers of the world.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:03 pm (UTC)I love your captions, btw ^_^
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:12 pm (UTC)Thank you!!!!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:05 pm (UTC)Almost died laughing (appropriately) at the resuscitation bits. 'Bugger we killed him.' *sniggers*
And I agree with the conflicting emotions as regards Uther...but his name gets me every time...you can make many interesting sounds saying it...
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:13 pm (UTC)It just had to be. There's no way it could be accidental these days!
And I agree with the conflicting emotions as regards Uther...but his name gets me every time...you can make many interesting sounds saying it...
LMAO!
(no subject)
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Date: 2008-10-19 08:14 pm (UTC)Oh and christ 'For anyone who hasn't watched the show yet, Merlin bows his head and kisses Arthur's hands'-this almost killed me. I thought missed something there lol
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:24 pm (UTC)Oh and christ 'For anyone who hasn't watched the show yet, Merlin bows his head and kisses Arthur's hands'-this almost killed me. I thought missed something there lol
LOL, whoops, sorry! just close your eyes and pretend it happened. I can absolutely see it.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:21 pm (UTC)PS: This episode made me squee like a very mad, mad thing. I ♥ this show. :D
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:27 pm (UTC)PS: This episode made me squee like a very mad, mad thing. I ♥ this show. :D
It's been a total shock how good this show actually is. Squeeing can't be helped, can it? ;o)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2008-10-19 08:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:29 pm (UTC)His is just the right amount of hairy too.
YIS! A nice, light smattering.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:24 pm (UTC)I don't know why this made me laugh the most, but it did.
Awesome picspam, I loved your previous ones (even if I didn't comment) and I got really excited when I saw that you had posted again :D
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:31 pm (UTC)I don't know why this made me laugh the most, but it did.
Ha ha, I just know I would be all, 'Ooooh, want the shiny th- ARHHHH!!'
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:26 pm (UTC)'Merlin is the loudest swallower I've ever heard in my life. I can only imagine those blow jobs he gives Arthur.'
...I WILL NEVER WATCH THAT SCENE IN THE SAME WAY AGAIN. ;_; You're right, though. it is -incredibly- loud.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:32 pm (UTC)LMAO! Sorry about that! I'm sure it even echoes a bit. Hee!
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:34 pm (UTC)And I totally agree with you about Arthur's chest and also the spiders.
Yum, and then shudder.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:28 pm (UTC)But he can just wear that very distracting and very open red shirt, and then who's going to listen to what he's actually saying? xD
I love your picspams!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:34 pm (UTC)LOL, very true!
I love your picspams!
Thank you!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:28 pm (UTC)(I've also memoried them all because, oooh, pretty!)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:29 pm (UTC)gigglesnort. Exactly what i thought, lol.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:29 pm (UTC)this made me choke on my drink! Brilliant!
Pretty
boysI mean picspam ;) That ep. was beyound awesome!(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:30 pm (UTC)Which leads to me wanting to do a TW/M crossover. Of lulz. D:
ANYWAY this cheered my night right up, cheers! ♥ I giggled like a loon.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:38 pm (UTC)Which leads to me wanting to do a TW/M crossover. Of lulz. D:
OOH, that would be very cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ANYWAY this cheered my night right up, cheers! ♥ I giggled like a loon.
Thanks you! Glad I could cheer you!
(no subject)
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Date: 2008-10-19 08:33 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:44 pm (UTC)He'll lean down, hand on the top of Arthur's head and stroke the long blonde strands of hair, the pads of his fingers massaging Arthur's scalp. Sometimes Arthur will breath softly, turn onto his side, nose buried in Merlin's hip. Other times he will moan and turn his face to kiss the inside of Merlin's wrist and Merlin will know he was awake all along.
Mostly, though, his lips will curve into a smile and let out a moan of disappointment if Merlin stops.
So he doesn't. He strokes and kneads and kisses until they both drift off into sleep, content.
} Good enough? :D ♥!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 09:00 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2008-10-19 08:47 pm (UTC)'Denoom effta durma. Drinka glassy cup of tea.' I think that might have just made me swallow my tonsils.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-20 09:50 am (UTC)Are they not? That might be where I've been going wrong all these years. Hee!
'Denoom effta durma. Drinka glassy cup of tea.' I think that might have just made me swallow my tonsils.
LOL! I certainly nearly swallowed mine when the ep first aired and I was all, 'Did he just say glassy cup of tea?!?!' :oD
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 08:53 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-20 09:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 09:04 pm (UTC)And Arthur is very very pretty.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-20 10:00 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2008-10-19 09:41 pm (UTC)I'm begging you to do one for episode 5 now, this is definately going into my mems for the entertainment value
"MUST SAVE WOOBIE!
..Clippety clop and awaaaaaaaay!!
......................................And awaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-20 10:01 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 10:16 pm (UTC)By way of thanks, if you'd like one, I'll have a go at a windswept hair stroking fic. It really is great hair :)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-20 10:04 am (UTC)LOL, now there's a crossover that has to be done M/TW/DW.
By way of thanks, if you'd like one, I'll have a go at a windswept hair stroking fic. It really is great hair :)
Yes please! I need hair stroking fics. It shall be the first Merlin fandom fanfic genre!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 11:15 pm (UTC)I never liked hairy chests until I discovered the SGA fandom and fell in love with the carpeted John Sheppard.
Ditto!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-20 10:11 am (UTC)OMG, I love your icon. That was one of my fav eps!!! Damn, I need some McShep right now.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-19 11:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-10-20 10:12 am (UTC)