Best Short Merlin BBC Fanfics
Merlin BBC novellas — 10k to 50k words, polished and contained. Curated from AO3 and ranked by kudos.
Top 17 Short Merlin BBC Fanfics
Ranked by AO3 kudos. Mid-length Merlin BBC fics — 10,000–50,000 words.
Dying to Return
by StormDancer
When they try to hang him, he floats. *They put him on the pyre at dawn. He doesn’t burn.
No Matter How Far Away You Roam
by lady_ragnell
“I was wondering if you might come home with me.” Merlin stops mid-rant and stares at him, and then down at his panini again, and back at Arthur. This is a panini of lies and pain. He can tell already. “For Christmas? I’ve got an uncle and a mother and a sister waiting for me at home, in case you
Favorite
by astolat
Arthur was tipped back against the wall, his mouth open for breath and staring at the small arrow-slit window over Merlin's head, trying to work out how it could possibly be that good with Merlin, of all people.
The Crown of the Summer Court
by astolat
"The king sent me to get you," Merlin said, with a tone that implied strongly that he wasn't rolling his eyes where Arthur could see, but just wait until his back was turned. "He said you're to get changed into formal clothes and meet him in the Great Hall, there's a delegation coming from the Summe
Fool Me Once
by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle
Arthur could see his father glaring down - face red and eyes narrowed as he looked at Merlin with clear distaste."Once this over, sorcerer...I’ll burn you.""You’ve already tried that," Merlin’s voice answered and Arthur had to bite his fist to keep from making any noise. “You need to accept you can’
The Burden of a Gift
by EvocativeOpulence
A banquet, a drink, and one (un)fortunate mistake. Merlin awakens in Arthur's bed with little memory of the previous night, but with all of the physical reminders.While pretending it never happened works for Arthur, it's less easy for Merlin as he comes to realize that he is carrying more than just
Sunlight
by maryofmossandmoonmilk
In a world in which Arthur told Merlin to leave and never come back after finding out about his magic.A year later Merlin is back and ready to defend Camelot with his magic.....but he's not the same Merlin.
The Time to Rise
by viridianaln9
The side stories for I Will Not Bow. Any side story goes here.
Coming of Age
by dance_in_moonlight
Over the winter, Arthur slowly realises he's in love with Merlin - and has to find a way to deal with that next to preparing the yule ball and satisfying his father's expectations.
You were the one to teach me how to use knives: Vol 5
by Obsessedwithfanfiction
Morgana's memory curse is still in place, but Leon's no longer the only person suspicious of her. Gwen's got a mystery to solve and a long-lost brother to deal with. Morgana's determined to get closer to Merlin again to try and find out how long he's been hiding his magic from her. Meanwhile Merlin'
Take My Life (And Hold It Tight)
by DollopheadedMerlin
After Gaius dies at the hands of Agravaine in the events of The Secret Sharer, Merlin reveals his magic to Arthur as a last ditch effort to see if Destiny was truly on his side.What follows is a terrible series of revelations, dubious rituals, offensive job offers, and lots of not-quite secrets stil
When Hope Withers
by Trialbyname
“𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳, 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬!” No… he had been in it. “𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?” He had been in it. He was sure of that. “𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘢, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦.” And he had not been alone. “𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘺�
The Weight of What He Carries
by KillingButterlies88745
When Arthur starts sensing magic, he assumes the worst. After all, magic is evil. Magic destroys kingdoms. Magic killed his mother. At least, that's what he's always been told. But as Merlin helps him investigate the truth behind his strange new ability, Arthur begins to realise that magic, and perh
After the Fall (Working Title)
by l0cal_bl00d_g0d
Camelot fell, but Merlin lives on. He's lived many lives over the years, guarding the place his pain stems from during most. When his magic isn't enough to hide Camelot castle and its found by an odd group of archeologists, he does what he does best- creates a new life to continue protecting his pas
Master of Time: Guardian of Magic
by jaqtkd
The circle has opened and closed many times whilst Merlin continues to play his part as Guardian of the Crystal Cave. Now, in the 21st century, the story is set to start again.This time, however, the Round Table will need Morgana's dubious help in order to defeat their enemy. Neither human nor beast
Le chemin vers la rédemption
by Tsubakichansan
Merlin a attendu le retour d'Arthur pendant mille ans, préservant sa jeunesse grâce à ses pouvoirs. Selon la prophétie du Grand Dragon, le Roi devrait revenir au moment où Albion aurait le plus besoin de lui. Alors que Merlin se dirige vers l'ancienne Avalon, il est la cible d'une agression. Arthur,
Thirty Days of Light
by loser_boy08
Thirty days. Thirty stories. One month of becoming. At Camelot University, June arrives with rainbow banners, late-night conversations, bad coffee, and the slow, sometimes messy work of figuring out who you are and who you want to be. Merlin is learning how to say things out loud. Gwen has receipts.
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About This List
This list of 17short Merlin BBC fanfics spans 353,830 total words. Kudos range from 2 on the newest entries to 42,022 on the most established. Most entries are ongoing works, so subscribe on AO3 for update notifications. The most common rating is Teen And Up Audiences (8 of 17 fics).
Recurring tags across this list: Angst · Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence · Originally Posted on LiveJournal.
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