From The Ashes
By RandomSlasher (Trilliah)
*Review of Prologue and Part One*
Summary: When Merlin uses magic to save Arthur's life, he is condemned to death, and Arthur is too late to save him. But when the grief-stricken prince, along with Morgana and Gwen, journeys to Ealdor to return Merlin's ashes, a series of strange events leads them to believe the warlock may not be as dead as they thought.
Rating: NC17Couple: Merlin/Arthur
Merlin, admittedly, is a new obsession of mine. I've been reading fanfiction since, maybe, May-ish? But this is not the first time I've encountered this plot and, honestly, I try to avoid stories like this one because character death makes me wibble. However, I'm giving it a try since I haven't ran across a Merlin fanfiction that I haven't fallen completely and irrevocably in love with.
This fanfiction is long. Extremely long. It tops out at over 40k words, so you might want to clear your schedule before sitting down to enjoy this one since it's all one chapter, though the chapter is broken down into parts which makes for easier reading and bookmarking.
The story opens with Merlin's execution; he's been caught performing magic. The magic, in turn, saved Arthur's life. Uther, however, isn't going to let that fact stand in the way of him murdering another sorcerer.
The scene of his, Merlin's, death is descriptive and heartbreaking. He is as anyone would expect him to be; he doesn't want to die, but he's content to because Arthur's safe. As quoted in the story, Arthur’s life was worth a thousand of his.
After Merlin's passing, we learn about what really had happened to Arthur that caused Merlin to perform the magic that would lead to his demise. As always, Arthur was engaged in a battle with a magical creature that could easily kill any mere mortal without the aid of a wizard such as Merlin.
Arthur wakes up and, immediately, notices that something is off. He's completely alone and his wounds are completely healed. He soon finds out, however, that Merlin saved his life using his magic (of which he did not even expect, which is a nice break from the cliché in the fandom) and then he rushes off to defend Merlin's abilities to his father without knowing that Merlin's fate had already been decided and carried out.
He finds out, from his father, that Merlin's execution was carried out that morning. Arthur is, in a single word, devastated and his opinion of his father changes within that very instant. He runs away, in disbelief, but soon he sees that there's no denying it. Merlin is dead.
The pyre that held the last earthly remains of his best friend.
Arthur sees the pyre and knows, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Merlin is gone. Morgana and Gwen are there to comfort him and collect Merlin's ashes to ensure his mother is able to give him a proper burial.
Upon entering Part I of the story, we're beginning to see Arthur slowly, but surely realizing what he's lost in Merlin's death. He's mourning and, maybe, still in denial and hopeful that he'll turn around and see his departed friend. We also glimpse a window, though slight, into Arthur's feelings for Merlin.
He wasn’t usually a physically affectionate person, but Merlin had always called up the desire for contact: a friendly punch to the shoulder, a tousle of his hair, a supportive hand on his back. Maybe he’d just wanted to assure himself of Merlin’s presence. All he knew was his arms literally ached to hold him in the one way he’d never allowed himself before. He hated himself for being too proud to embrace Merlin when he’d had the chance.
The trio of Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen start their journey to Ealdor to bring Merlin's remains to his mother. Things start out uneventful, but you as the reader know that things cannot and will not remain as such. Arthur ruminates over Merlin's recent passing and the effect it has had on not only himself, but others.
Guilt rears its ugly head and Arthur curses Merlin's unwavering loyalty to him, all the while realizing just what Merlin had done for him and how much he believed in Arthur. He's worried now, that he will be unable to fulfill Merlin's high expectations, but finds himself wanting to all the same.
Gwen, as always, is the voice of reason. Kindly, but sternly guiding Arthur and helping him through this difficult time because, sometimes, Arthur needs a push. We all know this, and it's what endears us to him. He's not a character without his faults.
He's still obviously in denial, though it isn't about Merlin's death. It's about what Merlin was to him. Arthur's still stubbornly holding on to the fact that Merlin was nothing more than a servant to him, though it's obvious that there's more to it than that.
Arthur's also being plagued by odd daydreams, or dreams, or memories, or whatever the hell they are. We're as clueless as Arthur, though I think we both can tell there's something strange about these memories. The memories, as far as I can tell, finally reach a head when Arthur dreams about Merlin performing magic as a child and when he wakes up…well, you'll have to read the story to see what he wakes up to.
Hunith reaction to Merlin's death is what any parent's would've been when faced with the same situation. She's devastated. The scene where Arthur tells her is heartbreaking in more ways than one because you see Hunith's despair coupled with Arthur's.
When she finds out the circumstances of Merlin's death, a full two days later since she's locked in a state of grieving, she surprises Arthur with not blaming him for her son's death. She surprises Arthur, but honestly, I was expecting it. We saw in the series that she was aware of Merlin's, and by extension Arthur's, destiny.
She doesn't blame Arthur, though it's clear that Arthur still blames himself.
“Destiny?” Arthur repeated. “You think this...Merlin’s death...you think it was destiny?” His voice was nearing hysteria, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. This was so far from what he’d been prepared for, he honestly didn’t even know how to process it.
“Arthur...”
I don't know about Arthur and the others, but I'm beginning to think that these memories just aren't the memories fabricated by Arthur's mind because he misses him. Why do I say this? He has another one after he passes out in Hunith's home after their confrontation about Merlin's death. This time he dreams (or maybe remembers) about Merlin and Nimueh, and there's a direct connection between the vision and what had just transpired between him and Hunith.
It's obvious that Hunith knows something, but what that something surprised even me and upon revealing what it is the first part of From The Ashes ends. Given the length of the story and of my review thus far, I've decided to review this part by part and post the reviews weekly, so keep an eye out for them and read From The Ashes when you have the time!
