Title: The Lonely King
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Categories: Modern Royal AU, Romance, Drama, Coming Out
Length: Epic (56,777 words)
Warnings: off-screen minor character death, brief references to homophobia

Author on LJ: corilannam
Author Website: Cori Lannam

Author's Summary:

The Prince of Wales at his school. Merlin was sure it was all just a very bad joke. A modern royalty AU.

Review:
I have a weakness for Modern AU's in general, but Modern Royal AU's in particular are my kryptonite. There are some terrific Modern Royal AU's out there, and The Lonely King is one of my favorites. I love the characterization of Arthur in this story -- he has this heart-meltingly sweet vulnerability beneath the strong exterior that is really lovely. It was a nice change of pace to see a sort of role-reversal in this story; often we see Arthur as closeted and conflicted about coming out, but in this case he has chosen to become a different kind of king in so many ways, including the sharing of his sexual orientation in a brilliant coming out moment.

Merlin has just the right amount of cheek and humor to be very engaging and charming, and the chemistry between Arthur and Merlin is apparent from their very first moment together. They start out with a sort of good-natured animosity that quickly develops into friendship, and ultimately a beautifully passionate romance. In most modern AUs, it seems like Merlin is generally portrayed as being very comfortable with with being openly gay, so in The Lonely King it is interesting to see Merlin working through his feelings about coming out and dealing with the implications of being involved with such a widely known public figure. I found myself anxious for Merlin to resolve his feelings so that he and Arthur could have their Happily Ever After, but also empathetic to his struggle.

Cori Lannam also did a really nice job of developing the supporting cast, with Gwaine being particularly enjoyable to read. There were several laugh-out-loud moments in this story, many of which involved Gwaine. Merlin's relationships with his mother and Will were also well done. I always like to see Will as the gruffly supportive best friend.

This story really is just about perfect, and a great example of the Modern Royal AU in the Merlin fandom.

The Lonely King