Winter in Camelot

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

The television show Merlin was filmed from spring to autumn. As a result, we never see winter in Camelot, and fans like to use fanworks to fill in the gap. Fanfiction set in these periods are often time skip fics where they try and display what life would have been like in Camelot during the winter months. They can often include domestic elements, like holiday celebrations, to hurt/comfort style stories that include hypothermia and huddling for warmth. Fanartists like to illustrate the beauty, or the harshness, of winter scenes.

As Merthur is the juggernaut ship of the show, this trope is most prominant in fanworks for the pairing, though it's also used in fanworks involving other ships or gen.

Common Tropes and Storylines in Winter Fanworks

Some popular plot points presented in these fanworks are:

  • 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, so 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.
  • There is also a lighter side of winter with snowball fights, holiday spirit, hot mead, and all the activities surrounding the midwinter festival.

Story Examples

They Howl in Dreams of Winter by snarkydame for Box of Magic challenge, cover from the 2010 Merlin Big Bang‎ Russian translation.

Merlin/Arthur

Merlin Reverse Big Bang fanart by steam_pilot, inspiration for As Falling Snow (2012)
  • 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)
  • 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.
The Light of Dawn by amythystluna. Created for nympha_alba for Merlin Holidays (2011).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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."[1]
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Winter Solstice by harlequin (8,750 words) - Part 3 of a series focusing on Arthur and his relationships with Uther, Merlin, Morgana and Gwen. During the depths of winter, Arthur discovers that Merlin has magic.

Gwen/Morgana

Gwaine/Merlin

Other Pairings

Gen

  • I'll be Your Harvester of Light (Leon & Merlin) by thetreeofwillow, "Winter solstices in Camelot are very different to the solstice in Ealdor, Merlin can't help but think as he watches the kitchen staff ready for the big feast. (24 Dec 2023)

Gift Exchanges

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

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

References

  1. ^ destina (2011-10-24). "Yet another Merlin rec". LiveJournal. Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
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