Merlin-y Questions

[awanderingbard]

I find myself writing a post-finale fic for Merlin to clear up some loose ends, and I have a couple of questions about the theories I'm operating on. Opinions would be appreciated.

1) I'm assuming, because Merlin is not at Gwen's coronation, yet they know Arthur is dead, that Percival arrived at Avalon and Merlin told him what happened and he took the message home? Or are we suppose to believe that Gwen knew Arthur was dead instinctively, like she said she would? I'm assuming Percival was running like heck after Gwaine's death to try to intercept Morgana, so headed toward Merlin and Arthur and not toward Camelot.

2. If Gwen is now ruler of Camelot, and she and Arthur had no children (something I felt was very odd that no one commented on, considering they were married for, like, four years before he died) does that mean that any children she had with a different partner in the future would inherit the throne? I'm trying to work out the line of succession.

3) I would like Merlin to return to Camelot, does that seem reasonable? I know the ending would like us to think that Merlin is still out there watching over Arthur, but I don't see why he couldn't travel back and forth.

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I've thought and thought about how Camelot finds out and it just never works in my head. I thought Kilgarrah flew Arthur and Merlin to Avalon, so then how would Percival track them? Morgana is dead, yes, but exactly what happens to Merlin and Arthur seems harder for him to discover.

I have not rewatched, I've no desire to put myself through that again, but he leaves Gwaine (I assume someone returns at some point to bury/make a pyre for him later) and goes off to where he knows Gwaine told Morgana that Arthur and Merlin would be and finds her dead- that wasn't the lake itself, was it? If Gwaine *had* known then the confrontation between Morgana and Merlin would have been there at the lake, not where it was.

Most fics I've read handwave all that and have Percival eventually come across Merlin at the lake's shore where he's told Arthur died and was buried in the lake. That makes vague sense.

As for #2... Queens by marriage usually can't pass on the throne so no, if she did not have children she might manage to keep the throne while alive (unlikely though) but if she married the new husband would be unlikely to get it. It's likely that there would be squabbling among the nobles as to who the rightful heir was, if not someone just outright trying to take it (Did Uther inherit it or take it by force, I don't remember)

3- Merlin might return. He certainly could, although not immediately (or he'd have been there at that final throne room scene)