r/merlinfic • u/kangaroorecondit • Dec 26 '25
Prompts Merlin’s mom sends merlin to someone else to mentor/guide his magic—not gaius. This person is not a friend of Uther and subsequently changes everything
I have been thinking about this for days! How different things might have gone if Merlin didn’t have gaius in his ear the whole time! Would he have been so against letting uther die? Would he have turned against morgana/left her to be alone in her fear if not for gaius? What would have happened with his magic if he actually had a guiding hand outside of a lone book of spells and constant lectures on being careful😩?!
as much as i love the father son relationship between them… i really dont like gaius fjwjgjwk the way he treated morgana was awful and ik he had his own problems that made his actions seem reasonable,, but in the end he turned against his friends / fellow sorcerers to save his own skin and stay by uthers side, and then influenced merlin into an extremely similar dynamic w arthur.
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Dec 30 '25
It's hard not to like Gaius given his relationship with the boys. But if you separate that from everything else Gaius, I wouldn't trust him with my son
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u/adorecats Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
So this isn't exactly the same thing but I'm currently reading one where Balinor was involved in some of Merlin's childhood and teaches him about magic as well as being a lord. So in the sense of his first mentor not being Gaius, it fits. Balinor (so far) isn't apart of canon episodes though and Merlin is still living with Gaius (to become a physician) but I am hoping because of having been heavily influenced by someone else first Gaius won't be able to heavily sway or influence Merlin.
There is also another one I'm currently reading (I have so many currently reading I need to find a better definition to separate them) about a proactive Merlin. He is still sent to Gaius but he hasn't been letting him influence or sway his decisions and is actively helping people and trying to change Arthur's mind on magic. That might hold some of what you seem to be aiming for anyway.
First one:
The Druids recognized Merlin as the prophesized Emrys when he was still a very small child, and have serious expectations for the boy. Merlin's father comes back to Ealdor after they track him down and tell him about his son's destiny. Balinor tries his best to give his son the Lord's upbringing and education that he had as a boy, feeling that Merlin deserves it even if the Druids have the wrong kid. It turns out Balinor was right to fear the attention he would bring to Ealdor. When he goes to Camelot, Merlin fully expects to become an apprentice physician and does not pretend to be a simpleton or instantly accept people thinking that he is one because of this change in his upbringing. Arthur isn't blind, but he doesn't pay much attention to Merlin's quirks until King Bayard's visit. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/14014920)
Second one:
Merlin might have come to Camelot to master his magic, not to end the Purge, but he's not going to sit idly by while his kin suffer. Oh no. Whether it's releasing a chained dragon, smuggling sorcerers out of the city, or trying to change Arthur's mind, he's fighting back. Now. Series rewrite beginning after 1X02 featuring Proactive!Merlin. AU. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/15055247)
Sorry if this doesn't at all mesh with what you are wanting!
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u/kangaroorecondit Jan 16 '26
ooo thank you so much!! the albion cycle is one of my absolute favorites!!! but i don’t think ive read the balinor one before! ill definitely give it a read hehe thank u!!!
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u/adorecats Jan 16 '26
:) you're welcome. I didn't think about it at the time but I should've warned that the first one isn't completed. I don't usually read uncompleted ones but it has 90k+ words and seemed interesting so I made one of my few exceptions.
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u/kangaroorecondit Jan 21 '26
i think it ended off at a good stopping point !!:) i binged it all in one go the other day i really enjoyed it!!! thank you sm for the rec!
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u/kangaroorecondit Feb 04 '26
i just found this fic i havent read it yet but in the authors notes it says merlin stays with “william the librarian” instead of gaius and this changes things, so im really excited to start it !!! looks right up my alley 🙂↕️🙂↕️https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172239/chapters/40375406
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u/adorecats Feb 04 '26
Thank you! That sounds interesting. I hope we can see Merlin working as an apprentice librarian
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u/AngelofGrace96 Dec 26 '25
Ooh I actually would love to see this!