Title: The Play's The Thing
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Categories: Canon AU, first time, humor, romance, happy ending
Length: Medium (4,989 words)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: shinybug
Author Website: Shinybug

Author's Summary:
Arthur had to spare a thought to be impressed at how many slanderous and untrue things Merlin had managed to insert into such a brief statement: that Arthur liked to drink, and that when he did drink too much he had a tendency to inflict bodily harm upon his manservant, either in the form of beatings and/or possibly sodomy, and that chambermaids were more or less involved in these indiscretions.

Review:
Very rarely do I actually laugh out loud when reading, even when I find something truly funny. Not so, here -- I smile and laugh just thinking about this story, much less reading it. What begins as a ruse to throw off a determined marriage-minded noblewoman leads to hilarity, embarrassment, and ultimately, true love.

I love the author's voice in this story, the way that the situation plays out so humorously and yet never veers outside the realm of plausibility. It seems that everyone but Arthur knows what he and Merlin could be to one another, and Arthur is just a little bit oblivious to what everyone thinks about his relationship with his manservant. Uther's resigned acceptance of The Relationship That Isn't (yet!), Gaius' protectiveness and Morgana's mirth are the icing on the cake.

While the original character Lady Helewys is meant to be an antagonist, of sorts, with her persistence and overly frilly dresses, there's a depth to her as well, in her moment of honesty with Arthur, and I liked Arthur all the better for his recognition of the fact that below her coquetry and affectations was a woman who was simply trying to secure her future.

The Play's The Thing