The Dragon Rises by Footloose (Art by Mushroomtale)
Word Count: 123,723 / Rating: Mature
Summary: If Into the Badlands met The Once and Future King, this is the story that would be told:
Merlin has three strikes against him: he's one of the last surviving members of the grove of Ironwood, he's renowned as the dread sorcerer Emrys, and there's a large reward hanging over his head like Damocles' sword. After decades of running, there's nowhere left to go. His dream of peace -- Ironwood's dream -- seems impossible to achieve until he meets the young son of a thane whose greatest secret is a traitorous desire for more than the tyranny that runs rampant throughout the Kingdoms of Albion.
It was disaster that brought the world to this. It's war that will cleanse it of its sins. But it is prophecy that heralds the day when the guardian of the realm can wear his mantle once again, and when the King of Kings will rise to take the throne that is rightly his.
Comment: I know this rec is “”late”” because this was from last year’s ACBB, but I’ve only now read it! And it was a wonderful canon-like-modern-dystopia of a world, where Merlin is on the run and Arthur is trapped by his position as a Thane’s son. I really loved the intrigue in this fic, wondering how things were going to work out and why characters were acting certain ways. A great fic from Footloose, and as usual, perfect art from Mushroomtale.