More Lovely and More Temperate

Fanfiction
Title:	More Lovely and More Temperate
Author(s):	Saucery
Date(s):	29 July 2010, completed 06 August 2010
Length:	10,000 words
Genre(s):	slash fanfiction, genderswitch
Fandom(s):	Merlin
Relationship(s):
External Links:	More Lovely and More Temperate (archived from AO3)
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More Lovely and More Temperate is a Merlin/Arthur genderswitch story by Saucery (~10,000 words). Arthur's newly acquired female body makes him take undue notice of Merlin's manly qualities. The author made a manip to illustrate what girl!Arthur would look like.

Summary:

Really, it was ridiculous to think that he couldn't handle a bit of drink, just because he was a woman. Arthur was getting sick and tired of attentive and semi-petrified knights trying to pry him away from his ale. He was Crown Prince, damn it - or Princess, for now - and he could celebrate his twenty-first birthday as he sodding well pleased.

"You're embarrassing yourself," hissed Merlin, after the good Sir Gawain caught himself staring down Arthur's bodice, went red in the face, and staggered away from the table like a man in fear for his sanity.

"I'm enjoying myself." Poor Gawain. He was such easy prey.

girl!Arthur manip by Saucery

The original Arthur image

"You're flaunting your breasts."

"Isn't that what they're for? Morgana flaunts hers an awful lot."

Merlin's face contorted in an interesting way, and he glanced around the hall as if to check for Morgana's presence. "I can't believe you just said that," he whispered fiercely, "and also, I can't believe you're competing with Morgana over... over this!"

"We've always competed, ever since we were children. Drove Father quite mad."

"I can imagine," Merlin muttered.

"And mine are bigger, anyway. They are, aren't they?"

Recs and Reviews

• "Hilarious and hot - the other way Arthur could react to being temporarily female. Which is to say, take it in stride - possibly too much so (much to Merlin's dismay)."

Comments

• "That manip is totally girl!Arthur. I'm just...wow. Secondly, you have the most charming, delightful voice for Arthur, completely him without ever being obnoxious. The relationship dynamics between him and Merlin mirror everything I like about them on the show, and never degrade into parody in spite of the lighter, more comic tone throughout the piece. Just well done, all around."
• "I love that Arthur is still so very Arthur even as a girl. The first part is fun, with Arthur deliberately taunting the knights and not-so-deliberately making Merlin jealous. I found his fixation with Merlin's adam's apple amusing. Oh Arthur, foiled by your new womanly urges. *cackles* Merlin is adorable esp in when he realized that he affects Arthur. *pets Merlin* And the smut...wow! Hotter than a thousand fiery suns, but also sweet and tender and fun."
• "This has to be the hottest genderswitch I've read, ever! My mind is absolutely blown. Your Arthur was so perfect. Loved his voice here, it was so him, from the beginning till the end. And loved the way you've made his and Merlin thoughts about the whole gender switch absolutely clear, not playing with pronouns, but keeping to he and his and it worked so great. I could still imagine Arthur as a very hot girl and Arthur as Arthur. The touching, Merlin's hand up his skirt, Arthur's foot against Merlin's chest was so incredibly hot even before all the hot scorching sex. I can't remember the last time that the het sex was so hot and it was kind of both het and slash. This was absolutely incredible."