The Unbroken Thread (Merlin story)
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Unbroken Thread |
| Author(s): | dayari |
| Date(s): | 20 December 2010 |
| Length: | 11,804 words; 1:08 min |
| Genre(s): | slash fanfiction |
| Fandom(s): | Merlin |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | The Unbroken Thread (LiveJournal) The Unbroken Thread (podbook) |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Unbroken Thread is a Merlin/Arthur story by dayari (11,804 words). It was written for kinkme_merlin for the prompt: "One of them has Micturition Syncope which is "the human phenomenon of fainting shortly after or during urination." I'd love to see how this affects them in their day to day life, at the castle, on a hunt/patrol, etc. And when the other one finds out about it, how they help. Hurt/comfort, please, and being protective."[1]
The Unbroken Thread was posted anonymously five days after the prompt and when it got an enthusiastic response the author de-anoned January 08, 2011.
Summary: "In which Arthur has micturition syncope, and Merlin develops the annoying habit of burrowing into every part of Arthur's life that's not under lock and key."
In this story Arthur knows about Merlin's magic but Merlin doesn't know about that and when he figures out what's going on with Arthur, they realize that it's much easier to keep a secret when they can share it with each other.
sophinisba podficced the story and the audiobook is 1:08 min long without music and 1:14 min with music.[2] The podbook is also available at the Audiofic Archive.
Recs and Reviews
Arthur's illness (while not life threatening) is mortifying to him, and makes him incredible vulnerable which in turn makes him prickly and stubborn and determined to deal with it without help. It a gorgeous portrayal of Arthur and pitch perfect to how I think canon Arthur would accept such a thing. I'm not really a fan of 'illness' fics in general but while this fic explored the impact of the condition on Arthur's life and the secrets he had to keep, it had none of the oppressive angst and devastation that often comes with illness fics. It was perfectly balance and brilliantly written.[3]
I was unsure of this fic for awhile because the idea just seemed very odd, but I ended up going "Awwwww..." for the entire story. It's lovely how the author builds the trust between Arthur and Merlin, and the way Merlin takes charge and helps Arthur not only deal with affliction, but also stop seeing it as a weakness, is heartwarming. If you're a h/c fan, it's a must read.[4]
References
- ^ Anonymous. The Unbroken Thread, 1/18, 15 December 2010. (Accessed 26 January 2011)
- ^ sophinisba. Merlin podfic: "The Unbroken Thread" by dayari, 26 January 2011. (26 January 2011)
- ^ marguerite_26. Merlin recs!, 22 January 2011. (Accessed 26 January 2011)
- ^ rebeccaann08. Arthur/Merlin Canon Recs, 01 February 2011. (Accessed 25 February 2012)