Merlin – After
by
Rhuddem Gwelin
Merlin – After
Part
One
She had moved to his side and he looked down at her. She met his eyes tranquilly but he felt, if
anything, more fragile than ever. The darkness was taking over.
He looked away and looked up at the night outside the window. “I
don’t think I can,” he whispered.
Wow, there's so much here I don't know where to begin! And this is only part one! I'm looking forward to continuing with the rest when I have time. Poor Merlin. The way his grief takes such a physical toll on him caught me off guard at first but is completely understandable by the end. (Why is it so tempting to hurt Merlin in stories? My own ideas for alternate continuations of the series have him being put through terrible ordeals as well!) I love the scene when Merlin comes to in Camelot and sees Arthur's empty throne and just sort of magically explodes! I'm not sure how else to describe it, but it was beautifully written! (Although, much like Merlin, I didn't like that the people would kneel before him. It reminded me too much of the life that Sigan proposed Merlin would have if he joined forces with him in the first episode of series 2.) Gwen's grief is very well done as well, especially as she balances the responsibilities of being queen with her own emotions.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm so happy to see Merlin back in Camelot and with his friends. Although it was such a long journey to get there! I had no idea they were so far away... but I really like how the procession grows in size along the way—especially when the dragon joins them. I don't remember whether that scene gave me a chill or my breath caught in my throat (as I've been at this chapter a couple of days now) but that moment had an actual physical effect on me, causing me to really sit up and take notice.
You have so many new characters in this, I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. It's also nice to see a familiar face (Gilli). I also enjoyed seeing Gwen interact with her servant. Finally, I was amused by the line from Kaita, "I remember the shock when the word came that Emrys had appeared in Camelot and he was just a simple lad called Merlin and he was the servant of Prince Arthur. We were so disappointed and thought, like, ‘This is ridiculous! It can’t be right!'" I think she speaks for most people's initial reactions on the show's decision to do something so dramatically different from the legend!
And I say wow! What a great comment! I’m very pleased to read about your reactions to the different parts and characters. And of course that you like it so much!
DeleteYes, poor Merlin. Suffering is part of being a tragic hero, but why should we want so much of it? There will be some happy moments in the parts to come, I promise...
Thank you for writing!