#witcher!arthur

[alons-ycreeper]

Because it's been rotting in my brain and it's canonical that a version of this world exists in the franchise I bring you this

BBC Merlin x Witcher

- When King Uther is saved from a griffin attack by a passing witcher from the school of the Bear, the witcher calls upon the Law of Surprise: the first news he receives when he arrives home. It is then that the Court Physician, Gauis, comes out to tell the king that his wife, Yrgraine, has passed in childbirth but his son Arthur is in good health. The Bear witcher looks to the king and tells him that in six years time he'll return for the boy. Six year pass and despite Uther's best efforts to save his only son and heir the witcher still manages to come for him. With the loss of his son Uther banned the Law of Surprise and all witchers from entering Camelot.

- Arthur undergoes the Trial of the Grasses with fellow children of surprise: Gwaine and Lancelot. Arthur seems unaffected by the Grasses so he's given a second round which was more painful than the first leading to his hair falling out and coming back in platinum blond. He grows to be the most skilled swordsman the school has to offer making him efficient in each kill. However, he is unable to use witcher signs and his potion brewing skills could use some work. Aside from that, Arthur quickly becomes the most sought after witcher in Albion.

- When Arthur is twenty-one he gets a contract in Camelot, a request from the king himself. At this point more than witchers and the Law of Surprise have been banned from these lands. Magic has also been prohibited unless it is used for healing and even that has strict rules to it. The king asks him to kill a dragon in one of the nearby caves. Arthur laughs stating that killing a dragon is strictly against his own code. Seeing himself out Arthur is soon stopped by Princess Morgana, who doubles as her father's court sorceress. She brings him another contract this time in aid of the dragon. She tells him her close friend and son of the Chief Dragonlord, Merlin Wyllt, is in need of protection for the Great Dragon's egg. Arthur agrees and sets out to meet this Merlin.

- Turns out Merlin just happens to be the legendary Emrys, Son of Eart Sky and Sea, Magic itself. A bit intimidating especially for someone who's at least two years younger than Arthur himself. Merlin is an interesting person. For someone so incredibly kind and down-to-earth, he's rather feisty and a bit mischievous. The way he makes Arthur feel dizzy isn't entirely unwelcome. When the threat to the egg has passed and Merlin is returned safely to his Dragonlord clan in the tiny village of Ealdor, Arthur is asked by the younger to stay and watch the egg hatch. Honored, Arthur agrees and is awestruck by the newly hatched Aithusa.

- Arthur is on the outskirts of the village when Merlin comes running up to him, pack in on hand and horse's bridel in the other. The witcher doesn't even try to object, just laughs as he saddles his own horse as they ride off together towards Camelot.

- By the end the king believes Arthur has slain the beast and dubs him knighthood, thus making him Arthur of Camelot the only witcher allowed into the kingdom. The years following the dragon hunt see Arthur frequent Camelot often for its monsters. The king seems to become more and more familiar with the witcher as does the princess though Arthur would call her more a friend than Uther. There's something about the old king that feels off to Arthur not necessarily in a bad way but not in a good way either.

- It's during the year Arthur claims his child surprise, Mordred, a young druid boy, and Merlin has been traveling with him for a few years. Merlin has received news from Morgana that she's run away from home to a druid tribe not far from them. They plan to go meet her when they find themselves surrounded by Camelot knights. Leon, their leader, apologizes for the ambush but the king wants Arthur in Camelot immediately.

- Uther tells Arthur he's his son. It all makes sense why the king became so adamant that Arthur stay long after hunts. Now with Morgana having gone rouge Camelot needs an heir, its true heir. Arthur refuses but before he can escape Uther has him imprisoned. Merlin and Mordred managed to get out, running into the nearby forest. Merlin, frantic, goes in search of Gwaine and Lancelot, Arthur's brothers. Mordred, however, calls out to the druids. They answer.

Merlin: You knew. This whole time you knew.

Morgana: Merlin, listen please–

Merlin: How could you lie to him like that? He's your brother, your flesh and blood brother!

Morgana: What good would telling him have done, huh? Already a witcher for longer than he was human. He didn't suit this life not anymore.

Morgana: I know I haven't been a good sister, Merlin. But believe me I love my brother very much. I sobbed myself to sleep the night the witcher came for him. I prayed to the triple goddess every night to bring him back. And when I saw him again all I wanted to do was hold him like I did when he was a baby.

Merlin: Save me your tears. I don't have time for this.

Morgana: Uther trapped me, controlled me. You think he won't trap Arthur as well?

Merlin: He already has. That's why I'm going for help.

- Merlin sets out again with Mordred and an uninvited Morgana to find Arthur's brothers. Meanwhile Arthur suffers at the hands of his father who is constantly trying to find a way to reverse the witcher mutation

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

I noticed you like the witcher and was wondering if you ever considered writing a merthur witcher!au with a Witcher Arthur who is tasked with hunting magical creatures (and being conflicted between which ones truly deserve the sword and which ones were cursed due to other circumstances) and a bamf not to mention snarky openly a sorcerer Merlin? I just think that would be neat lol

Ok. So. I normally hate AUs and Especially crossover AUs but this.... is incredible. I've tweaked it a lot to keep as close to canon as possible though, hope that's cool (I know you said openly magical Merlin but my mind kinda ran away from me with this one😅)!

I'm thinking the ONLY thing Witcher-y about this universe is that Witchers and monsters (and magic) exist. None of the places/wars/background characters are real (maybe Geralt and Jaskier will make a cameo but probably not).

So maybe when Arthur is born and Igraine dies, Uther is SET on raising a magic hating, magic killing machine, and the best way to do that?? Have him turned into a Witcher. Literally warriors with the SOLE purpose of killing monsters (and if Uther sees all magic users as monster as well, then who in Camelot is gonna correct him?) So he ships him off to Witcher school as a new born (school of the Bear, obviously) and tells them to do what they want to him, as long as he comes out capable of great violence, will do what he is told, and is returned when he comes of age.

Maybe the Bears try to keep him? Arthur is one of their Cubs, and Uther is obviously a terrible father with terrible morals and even worse motives, but Uther shows up a year after Arthur comes of age with an army. They may be Witchers, but there are few of them, and they don't stand a chance.

So Arthur is returned to Camelot as the Famed Witcher Prince, given control of the knights, and told to hop to. (Uther also banishes him from EVER using his signs, because it's a little too close to magic for his comfort.) Camelot's army becomes almost impossible to beat, because though they may not physically be Witchers, they're trained like Witchers, and that goes a long way on the battlefield.

The round table knights come along (Leon's always been there and is oddly protective of The Witcher Prince. But Gwaine and Lancelot (both of whom have met Merlin outside of Camelot before) and Elyan and Percival show up) and... Arthur is extremely fond of them in a way he doesn't even really understand. But he's a Witcher, nothing but a killer, so he struggles to connect with them. But of all the knights he has, they're the only ones that really try? Leon makes sure he looks after himself and Elyan asks about his weapons and Gwaine takes the piss and Percival and Lancelot treat him so softly he doesn't know what to do with it. And none of them are scared of him. Everyone's scared of him. His adopted sister can barely look at him (though he gets the feeling that it's pity and well as fear), the councilmen are terrified, the people he's meant to be protecting are scared of him. Even Uther is afraid that one day Arthur will break from his control.

And then Merlin shows up (a few years later than in canon) and Lance and Gwaine are excited to see him so... he can't be that bad, if two of his favourite people love him. And Merlin isn't scared of him either. And though something about the man feels... off (Uther confiscated his medallion because it was in the same vein as Witcher signs: too close to magic he couldn't control or explain) he's nice, and funny, but also doesn't put up with his shit. (Merlin is definitely the Jaskier to Arthur's Geralt). They clash a lot at first, in the same way that Arthur and Gwaine used to clash before they began to understand each other. And then they become besties and Merlin is usually the one to make Arthur smile and comforts him when he starts to hate his eyes or his scars or his stupid silver sword.

Arthur confesses to him late one night that Camelot doesn't feel like his home, that he hates his father for what he did; not for sending him away, but for bringing him back again. Condemning him to hundreds of years on the throne of a Kingdom who would kill him if he weren't the Prince, who killed his clan and and hates the other schools and forces him to kill people who are are only slightly different to him. In fact, if another Witcher wandered into the Kingdom, Uther would probably have Arthur kill them for being a magic wielding feral monster. He also confesses that whilst half the monsters he kills, the Drowners and the hags and the Alghouls, actually deserve it, the rest... the far away Griffins that live in peace, and the Cockatrice that was hiding in it's cave and hurting no one, and the Unicorn that Witchers normally don't kill anyway, the sorcerers who dare to just exist... they don't deserve it. And he kills them anyway because that's what he's built to do. And then Merlin tells him it isn't. Merlin is the first person in his entire time in Camelot who tells him he isn't built to kill, but he's built to protect, built to lead as well, if that's what he wants. He reveals his own magic and Arthur is beyond touched that Merlin would trust him of all people with this. Merlin explains that whilst it might be Arthur's destiny to rule Albion and bring magic back and undo what Uther did, if he wants to run away right now, to never think about destiny again, Merlin will go with him. And the knights probably would to.

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ANYWAY I GOT WAY TOO INTO THAT!!! This is DEFINTIELY going on The List in the next update!!

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

that witcher crossover sounds fantastic, bless that anon for speaking it into existence

(Referencing This Post about Witcher!Arthur)

I know!!! YOU HEAR THIS ANON!!!! WE LOVE YOU AND YOU'RE A GENIUS!!!!!!

Anyway. Yeah. I've thought about it a lot, researching the Bear School specifically, tryna figure out how I'll make it all work logistically, and how I can fit Geralt/Jaskier/other Witcher cameos in it. Also, how it will end. I do want to keep the whole... Once and Future King and Emrys destiny in it, but I'm not sure if I want The Gang to run away, or stick it out. Originally, I was thinking they stage a coup or something, but I've written that quite a few times now and even if this time it was with Witcher!Arthur I'm not sure if I could make it unique enough to be interesting. Hmm. I'm sure it'll come to me eventually lol :D

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Coming next!!! Control Part 3 is finished and queued for 13:30GMT 02/11/21!!! Come back then to read it (pay attention to the TWs lads, this one's heavy).