Winter in Camelot

Tropes and genres
Related tropes/genres	Huddling for Warmth, Camelot
See also	Arthur Finds Out, Arthur Conquers Ealdor, Modern Royal Family AU
Related articles on Fanlore.

The TV show Merlin is filmed from spring to autumn. As a result, we never see winter in Camelot and fanfiction has filled that gap.

Arthur and Merlin go hunting in a wintry forest, get lost in a snow storm or are surprised by heavy snowfall and have to seek shelter. They encounter winter personified and have to deal with matters of the Old Religion. One of them breaks through the ice and they need to share body heat because of hypothermia. Often it's cold in the castle as well. Merlin crawls into Arthur's bed to stay warm or Arthur asks him to warm his bed. Sometimes Merlin suffers from the cold and Arthur doesn't notice and there is h/c to make it all better. And of course there is the lighter side of winter with snowball fights, holiday spirit, hot mead, and all the activities surrounding the midwinter festival.

Story Examples

Story cover for the 2010 Russian Merlin Big Bang‎ translation of the Box of Magic story They Howl in Dreams of Winter.

The Light of Dawn by amythystluna. Created for nympha_alba for Merlin Holidays (2011).

Merlin Reverse Big Bang fanart by steam_pilot, inspiration for As Falling Snow (2012)

• all I wanted was a white knight (I got a prince instead) by Anonymous (13,600 words) - Arthur makes Merlin warm his bed.
• As Falling Snow by i_claudia (5,300 words) - Canon Era futurefic where Arthur broods and trudges through the snow while figuring out whether he can trust Merlin and his own feelings. (written for Merlin Reverse Big Bang 2012)
• Dream of a Future by b_b_banana (4,200 words) - Winter arrives in Camelot with little fanfare, tiding on snowflakes that kiss the windowpanes of the tallest towers and melt before they reach the ground. Merlin invites himself into Arthur's bed.
• Fall Off The Earth by torakowalski (3,100 words) - They're a two-day walk from Camelot, making their way back around the edges of the barren, wintery forest of Sherweald when a snowstorm hits, shocking in its suddenness. Features hypothermia, a cave and a magic reveal.
• Finding Home by riventhorn (7,900 words) - When Gaius retires, a new physician takes over and kicks Merlin out of his room. Arthur finds Merlin sleeping in the stables...and it's winter. Hurt/comfort where Arthur makes Merlin sleep in his bed and is in no hurry to find a new room for Merlin.
• The Great Winter by littlesleepfic (9,100 words) - It's the Little Ice Age. OR. The Great Winter, when the Pendragon's are forced to bed down for a month under furs until the weather is warm again. Arthur's only seen the Great Winter in babyhood. Now, he must find a proper Royal Bedwarmer to share his Winter's rest with.
• Like Ashes by yavannauk (3,300 words) - Trapped in a snowstorm cave story where Arthur finds out about Merlin's magic.
• Light of Arthur by venivincere (63,000 words) - The winter will not end and Arthur and Merlin have to go on an epic Quest through Albion to bring back sunlight and save the kingdom.
• A Little Fire to Warm by janne_d (4,100 words) - After Arthur breaks through the ice, Merlin has to warm him up in Arthur's own bed. Gaius's order!
• Marzipan Series by tetsubinatu (8,800 words) - The series is a WIP set in the winter between series 1 & 2 and is expected to end with an Arthur/Merlin pairing. Most of the stories are Gen but there may be a hint of the pairing lurking in the background of these. The stories are set, one a day, in the lead-up to Yule.
• Misrule by thehoyden (4,300 words) - It's midwinter in Camelot and everyone celebrates the Feast of Fools. Servants get to play King, Queen, and Prince of Misrule for a day and the luck of draw determines that Merlin is the Maiden.
• Sacred Fire by ebonystar (3,700 words) - Winter bites hard in Camelot, especially around the solstice and Arthur can become very demanding; Merlin learns of a change in his duties. Written for merlinadvent 2008. Merlin shares Arthur's bed because it's cold.
• Springes to Catch Woodcocks by myashke (82,300 words) - "Merlin falls through the ice saving Arthur and then hurt/comfort ensues - basically, for the first 20,000 words of this thing (and maybe more than that), Merlin is freezing to death and that's an excuse for him to be cuddled by various mostly naked knights."
• The Thaw by RurouniHime (2,500 words) - Merlin falls into the icy river and Arthur saves him.
• An Unnecessary Freezing of Water by Shine (8,200 words) - Separated from their hunting group, Merlin and Arthur have to find their way through a snowstorm. When Arthur falls into a frozen river, Merlin goes after him to save him.
• Until the Morning Light by kianspo (9,900 words) - The citadel is coldest during Midwinter vigil, but warmth comes in many forms on that magical night. Written for merlin_holidays.
• Winterbloom by shinybug (6,200 words) - Deep in the woods in the frozen heart of winter, a careless comment leads to a redefinition of Arthur's relationship with his manservant.
• Winter's Trial by janne_d (8,200 words) - The first snows of winter have fallen and Arthur has Merlin to find and a test to pass out in the cold, or neither of them will make it back to Camelot.

Gift Exchanges

Animated banner for Merlin Holidays, showing a snow-covered Camelot.

The fandom has produced several holiday gift exchanges that are set around the winter solstice:

• merlin_the_elf - Secret Santa gift exchange (2008)
• camelotsolstice - Secret Santa gift exchange (2009 - 2010)
• merlin_santa - Secret Santa gift exchange (2008–present)
• Merlin Holidays - Secret Santa gift exchange (2010–present)
• Merry Merthur - Merlin/Arthur gift exchange (2010)
• merlinadvent - Merlin Advent Calendar (2008–present)