Title: Red Window Frames
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Merlin & Arthur friendship
Categories: AU, modern, magic, friendship, humor, the boys as kids and then teens, pre-slash
Length: medium (7,234 words)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: magog_83
Author Website: magog_83

Author's Summary: A brief insight into the adventures of Merlin, the hapless teenage wizard, and Arthur, who mostly takes notes.

Review:
Red Window Frames is smart, very funny, and sweet, sending up magical clichés and throwing the boys into self-made disasters. Young Merlin is trying to figure out how his magic works (and how not to blow things up) by using the only thing he has at hand: young adult and children's fiction. Harry Potter features prominently in his 'studies'.

Enter Arthur, who's been taught that hard work, long hours and a systematic approach are necessary to any endeavor. He's in Merlin's village visiting his aunt for the summer, and in the absence of anything else to do, he takes on Merlin as a project. Merlin isn't sure he wants to be a project at first, and magog-83 does a brilliant job of having both boys hold their own. Their dialog is terrific, and they get into adventures that make me laugh aloud.

The story follows them from ages 8 to 15, and they're very much in character for their ages. Without meaning to be, Merlin's a handful. Hunith is practically a saint, with her hoover that tries to go round to the neighbors' and her teapot that's a chicken. Arthur's the sort of kid that shows up and immediately tells everyone else what to do, but it turns out for the best; behind all the humor, Merlin really is trying to understand a power he can't control, and working with Arthur adds some stability and keeps him from being alone. There's a great progression of their friendship, and at the end, something more hinted at for their future.

“Why are your windows red?” asked the boy, in the poshest voice Merlin had ever heard. He was wrinkling his nose, as if the very sight of them was somehow offensive...

“It’s blood,” said Merlin matter of factly, turning back, “There was a burglar and they had a terrible accident.”

There was a silence, and Merlin read three more paragraphs of his book, before, “Then why are all the frames red?”

Merlin sighed, and carefully bookmarked the page. He’d just reached the part where Harry was putting Fluffy the three headed dog into an enchanted sleep, and you never knew when that might come in useful (his mum was very fond of dogs). Then he squinted up to where the boy was watching him impatiently. “There were a lot of burglars.”

The boy snorted. “That’s a stupid story, you could at least make up something decent.”

“I magicked them red with the power of my brain,” said Merlin.

“You’re weird.”

Merlin grinned. “Thank you.”

The boy stared at him again, then he shrugged. “What are you reading anyway?”

Merlin lifted the book so he could see. “Harry Potter.”

“Why?”

“In case my mum gets a dog. I’m taking notes,” he indicated the exercise book lying on the grass next to him with his elbow and then rubbed his nose. Looking into the sun was making his nose itchy, and the last time he’d sneezed too hard he’d blown up the television.

Red Window Frames (AO3)
On LJ
Podfic by Lunchee