Title: The Wild Hunt
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Categories: Mystery, Suspense, Halloween, Dark Romance, Modern AU
Length: Long (18,300 words)
Warnings: Major Character Death (sort of), Minor Character Death (offscreen) Dark Themes, Violence, Unhappily Ever After

Author on LJ: asya_ana
Author Website: aa_fic

Author's Summary:
Every year on Samhain, the Wild Hunt terrorises the small Welsh town of Camford. A year after his own father is killed by the Hunt, Arthur is asked to lead a party against it. Merlin Emrys, the ailing recluse who alone escaped the Hunt in the past, may hold the key to Arthur's success in defeating it—or he may be the leader of the Wild Hunt himself. Mystery/suspense, supernatural, Samhain/Halloween, dark romance.

Review:
Atmosphere -- this story has it in spades. From the very beginning, the author sets a dark, gothic tone while building the suspense in a slow, almost deliciously torturous way.

Arthur lives a quiet, lonely life as the proprietor of Pendragon and Sons, Guns and Tackle. He has been touched by loss -- the Hunt took his father only one year prior, and this year he goes forth to face the deathly riders with grim resolve. You can see the King in him very clearly, as he takes his responsibilities to the townspeople seriously and is willing to sacrifice himself for their sake. To give much detail on Merlin would be to risk spoiling things, but I can say that the author does an excellent job of portraying him as a sepulchral figure, almost (but not quite) a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle.

The romance between Arthur and Merlin culminates in a love scene so filled with yearning that it made me ache. I wanted so desperately for them to have the happy ending that simply wasn't meant to be in this funereal piece.

While the story is not entirely without levity -- Gwaine-as-Idris is a particular treat -- the mood is most certainly gloomy, making it a perfect read for someone who wants a dark, supernatural fic without the violence and gore of a more contemporary horror feature.

The Wild Hunt