Merlin (TV)
the wish that broke the
by whatswiththemustache
“The Mad King?”Gwaine peered at him, frowning. “Surely you know who that is, at least?”“I- no, I… we didn’t get much news of the southern kingdoms,” said Arthur hastily, heart hammering. “Who… is the Mad King?”Gwaine sighed. “Only the worst tyrant that the five kingdoms have ever known,” he said, turning the point of his knife in a circle against the table. “And probably one of the cruelest and most bloodthirsty monarchs that these lands have ever seen. That would be Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot… bringer of doom and misery for us all.”~In which Arthur discovers Merlin's magic and exiles him in an unthinking rage - but not before making a wish that he'll come to regret. The next day, with no memory of what happened, Arthur wakes up to a Camelot that is not his own. Everything is different, everyone seems terrified of him, and worst of all... Merlin has vanished without a trace, as if he never existed in the first place.