TITLE — CENTURIES*

status: taken by GryffindorGodric
faceclaim: colin morgan
oc: merlin ambrosius
fandoms: merlin / marvel
love interest: steve rogers
first appearance: captain america: the first avenger
last appearance: avengers: endgame

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KILGHARRAH WAS WRONG.

One thousand years had passed since the fall of Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, and Merlin remembered them all. Some were long, some were catastrophic (like the Great Plague of 1665, closely followed by the infamous Fire of London in 1666) and others were filled with wonderful discoveries. But none of them were graced with the return of the Once and Future King. So, Merlin carried on waiting, and waiting, and waiting, all of it alone.

The old warlock befriended many over the millennia, and he agonisingly watched as age consumed them while without ever touching him. Time had spat him out like you would with a distasteful supper as the power within his veins refused to let him submit to the crashing waves that had claimed everyone else he had ever loved.

Gaius.

His Mother.

Gwen.

The Knights.

Arthur.

Their names were forever scarred onto his heart, to never be forgotten. After all they had loved, laughed and lost together, there was no way Merlin could ever let them slip his thoughts; they were his family and he cherished the memories of their joyful times. Not that there were many since. He sat by and watched as the world twisted their story, their names, into legend. He sat by and watched as true magic and the Old Religion were left in the past. And he sat by and watched as the once mighty Kingdom of Camelot fell into ruin.

That was what time was like for Merlin Ambrosius. An endless cycle of both love and pain. And the worst part about it all, was that he had to go through it alone. They say nothing lasts forever, but the warlock knew that wasn't true, because he had lasted forever and there was nothing he could do to change it. The world kept turning, time kept ticking, and Merlin Ambrosius remained preserved in the middle of it all.

World War I was a nightmare. Sure, he had been involved in wars before, with some events leading him to using the magic he tried very hard to leave behind, but nothing was like this. This was something new, and not the good kind. Weapons had changed since his time in Camelot: swords were obsolete and no one longer wore chainmail. Instead, the world was given guns, tanks and the increase in scientific developments meant chemical warfare could now be used to wipe out countless without even pulling a trigger. And it made Merlin feel sick.

So, when the news broke that another World War had begun, he knew he would do anything to help stop the violence before it exceeded what happened decades prior. Merlin Ambrosius joined the army and worked his way up the ranks, all the while keeping the truth of his identity a secret to even those he trusted the most, including the one and only Peggy Carter.

Merlin did not know what to expect when him and Peggy joined Project Rebirth, but it was certainly not anything he had in mind. And he certainly didn't expect to meet a brave, kind and loyal man who he felt connected to like no other. Steve Rogers appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary man with several health conditions, but that was not the case. For inside his broken body lay the heart of a warrior, the spirit of a good man, Steve Rogers was the soldier they were looking for.

And he was more than that, because there was something about him that Merlin could not place: a feeling. It wasn't a feeling of upcoming danger or the feeling of a source of powerful magic, it was something else, something strangely familiar.

So, maybe the old dragon wasn't so wrong after all, because Arthur Pendragon may be gone, but the spirit of the Once and Future King did rise again....

...In the heart of Steve Rogers

If you don't like this summary, feel free to edit it to your liking.

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epigraph:

"You are a volume in the divine book
A mirror to the power that created the Universe
Whatever you want, ask it of yourself
Whatever you're looking for can only be found
Inside of you."

- rumi

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quotes:

"You think I'm the reincarnation of THE King Arthur?"

"Yes I do, and in all honesty, it's not the weirdest thing I've seen."

steve rogers and merlin ambrosius

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about:

fullname: Merlin Ambrosius
alias: Emrys (title/hero name)
The Last Dragonlord (title)
Merlin Gaiusson (General alias)
age: 1000ish (during CA:TFA)
family: Balinor (Father) †
Hunith (Mother) †
Gaius (Uncle/Father-figure) †
Arthur Pendragon (Brother-figure) †
Other unnamed family †

emrys

The years in between: Between the death of Arthur Pendragon and when Merlin meets Steve Rogers, he has done a lot of things. After the future of Albion crumbled, Merlin stopped using his magic. He returned to Camelot, brining the tragic news and saying goodbye to his loved ones. Merlin only used his magic when absolutely necessary out of fear of being discovered. The Old Religion died out, magic and Arthur were turned into legend, so Merlin his who he was.

20th Century: Merlin doesn't like war and after the horrors of WW1, he wants to put out the fire of WW2 as quickly as possible which is why he joins up. Merlin may be old now, but he doesn't look it, he still appears to be the boy he once was, but he's not. Merlin's closed off, firmer and wiser, he doesn't joke around like he used to. Steve Rogers makes his heart flutter, making him become the cheerful boy he used to be.

If you would like to know any other details about Merlin, please private message me and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions.

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notes:

• Steve Rogers kind of reminds me of Arthur Pendragon which is how this plot began. THIS BOOK IS A CROSSOVER. Simply put, this is the Merlin we all know and love from the BBC series, it is not another Merlin inspired by the series. The same things that happened to the series Merlin, happened to this Merlin.

• Basically, Steve is the reincarnation of Arthur and Merlin can feel that, they're connected through magic.

• Merlin has been around a long time by the time of CA:TFA so he's changed a lot. He's wiser, smarter, more closed off. Steve Rogers is the only one who managed to break down that wall Merlin put up before he vanishes in 1945. His 'death' devastates Merlin who becomes even more cold and closed off.

• Merlin is pansexual, because honestly, it makes the most sense.

• Aithusa aka the dragon he hatched, makes an appearance because in the show we didn't see much about what happened to him. Merlin creates a necklace/amulet for him and when he puts it on Aithusa, the dragon shrinks to about the size he was the in the series. Considering Aithusa is now about 1000 years old, he can talk to Merlin, so you might want to cast a voice for him.

• Despite the fact that the Old Religion died out and he's hesitant about his magic, Merlin still learns about all the mysteries it has to offer. He's much more powerful than he used to be.

• Merlin has been through a lot over the years and has met a lot of people, but Camelot will forever remain in his mind.

ACT ONE
captain america: the first avenger

• Merlin is friends with Peggy Carter, they trained side-by-side and stuck together through the war. When he sees Steve, he instantly feels a connection but doesn't figure out until later why that is. Merlin always sticks up for Peggy even though he knows she can look after herself. She does not know the truth of who he is. Merlin and Steve bond and the Captain somehow discovers his magic. They fight side by side together until Steve is lost and Merlin is devastated, it makes him feel like a failure, like when Arthur died. When Steve is unfrozen, he reunites with Merlin and is shocked to discover him still alive (Merlin only confessed the magic part, not the legendary immortal sorcerer thing).

ACT TWO
avengers assemble

• Steve now knows the truth. In this act, him and Merlin are joined at the hip. They are not yet together but it's clear they love each other. Merlin realises that a reason he's connected to Steve may be that he's Arthur's reincarnation and during this act, he's exploring his theory. Loki and Thor know of Emrys and the legend surrounding him, so they're intrigued by him. At the end, Steve and Merlin kiss and the warlock confirms his theory.

ACT THREE
captain america: the winter soldier

• Merlin and Steve are living together and Merlin is helping Steve adapt to the new time. They stick together throughout the entire act. Steve is still not sure about him being Arthur's reincarnation, after all, that's a big burden on his shoulders. They're developing their relationship, something Steve is quite shy about. Merlin was also good friends with Bucky so him returning as the Winter Soldier hurts for him too.

ACT FOUR
avengers: age of ultron

• When the Avengers storm the HYDRA base, Merlin has a weird feeling and follows it to a locked cell where he finds Aithusa. He uses his magic to makes the dragon small (about dog-sized) so he can be easily transported and looked after. Steve and Merlin are as strong as ever and Steve is starting to accept the whole 'Arthur reincarnation' thing. Merlin is crushed by Pietro's death because he felt he could've saved him. At the end, when Thor leaves for Asgard, he takes Aithusa with him so the dragon can be normal sized and soar through the clouds without having to be worried about being shot down.

ACT FIVE
captain america: civil war

• Merlin is obviously team Cap. He has also, along with Steve, become a mentor/parent figure for Wanda and they care about her. Merlin does not like fighting his teammates and goes easy on them at the airport. At the end, he leaves with Steve, but not before apologising to Tony. Steve may be the reincarnation of Arthur Pendragon, but that did not mean he didn't make mistakes. Merlin thought the Civil War was a mistake.

ACT SIX
avengers: infinity war

• They've been on the run for two years and Steve gave up his Stars and Stripes, something Merlin was sad about. Their relationship is a bit rocky in places and has been since Civil War. Merlin's overjoyed to be reunited with Bruce and then Bucky but saddened at the news about Tony. They end up in Wakanda and fight to protect the stone. Thor arrives and he has Aithusa, he's a dragon and managed to survive being in space after Thanos destroyed the Asgardian ship. Merlin and Aithusa fight together. But in the end, it's still not enough. Aithusa dusts, Merlin doesn't.

ACT SEVEN
avengers: endgame

• Five years later, Merlin and Steve's relationship is almost unbreakable. They're both still grieving the losses but they live on for the ones who disappeared. They try to help people who have lost their loved ones. Merlin's eager to take the chance of saving everyone who died. He's happy for Tony, that he has a family, making Merlin consider whether he wants one of his own. You can decide whether Merlin sticks with Steve during the Time Heist or goes with someone else. When Nat dies, he breaks. He's so happy when everyone returns and feels whole again, especially when Aithusa makes an appearance. When Steve uses the Hammer, it's like his sword from the stone moment. Merlin goes ultimate wizard. He's devastated by Tony's death. In the end, Steve returns to Merlin and hands over the Shield to Sam so that they can retire and start a family.

• It would be nice if an epilogue was written about their family, set a few years into the future.

IMPORTANT — anything not mentioned in this timeline is up to you to develop, giving you space for your own ideas. Also, if you have any questions, please private message me, I'm more than happy to answer them.

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password — Favourite thing about Merlin and why?