Tropes pages for characters in Lost in Camelot.
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The Triad
The Triad
The core characters of this series, Bo, Merlin and Morgana are each some of the most powerful beings of magic to ever be born; Bo is the heir of the Blood King, Merlin is the mythical Emrys, and Morgana has shown great potential as a seer as well as possessing fae heritage from her mother. As individuals they were always a force to be reckoned with, but when the three come together they are almost certainly destined for greatness.
- Birds of a Feather: The three are powerful beings of magic who live in a kingdom that actively hunts their kind.
- Defends Against Their Own Kind: Typically Bo and Merlin in particular take point in dealing with magical threats to Camelot.
- Eternal Love: When Bo, Merlin and Morgana learn that Morgana's fae heritage and Merlin's destiny as Emrys at least suggest that the two of them could be as long-lived as fae, they are all pleasantly overwhelmed at the idea that they can truly be together forever, Morgana in particular having been concerned about the differences in their potential life spans.
- Freudian Trio: Bo, Merlin and Morgana soon form a version of this, although who plays what role can vary. Bo's initial role upon arriving in Camelot was to unintentionally help Merlin and Morgana find a balance between Merlin's goal to protect the innocent and Morgana's anger at the existing rules, but as they have moved to the kingdom of the Fae, their dynamic has become more varied, with Bo concerned about her ability to be a ruler while the other two help her face her concerns.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: The triad's initial goal in leaving Camelot was to travel to the kingdom of the Blood King and find a cure for Bo after she was struck by Morgause's curse. However, having arrived in the kingdom Bo was basically required to stay after learning of her heritage as the lost princess, and Morgana was quick to seize this opportunity to escape Uther's plans for an arranged marriage, after which it was easy for them both to persuade Merlin to stay as well rather than return to Camelot.
- Subordinate Excuse: Merlin was always shown as willing to serve others despite his power, accepting a role as Arthur's manservant for the better part of three years even before falling in love with Bo and Morgana. When the triad relocate to the kingdom of the Fae, he and Morgana are each willing to accept a life where they will be regarded as property by most of the fae if it allows them to remain together, Morgana in particular reflecting that she would rather live as a servant alongside the people she loves than sit on a throne beside a man she doesn't care for.
- This Is My Human:
- As far as fae society is concerned, Bo has claimed most of Camelot and its residents for herself just by taking up residence there.
- When the group arrive at the Blood King’s territory, Dyson has to establish that Merlin and Morgana ‘belong’ to Bo to justify them accompanying him and Bo back to the palace.
- Undying Loyalty: While the Blood King doesn't show any sign of approval or disapproval regarding Merlin and Morgana as long-term romantic partners for his granddaughter, when he requests that they do their best to protect Bo, both assure Trick that they would do their best to keep Bo safe, affirming their devotion to her.
Bo
Isabeau "Bo" Dennis
A succubus, Bo spent her first few decades of life in the twentieth/twenty-first century before she and her best friend Kenzi were banished into the past by a mysterious old man. Initially accepting the plan to stay in Camelot until she found a way home, Bo soon learns that this was her native time, and settles more permanently into her new life to the extent that she falls in love with Merlin and Morgana. Having travelled to the kingdom of the fae, Bo has been announced as the heir to the Blood King and the princess of the kingdom.
- Abusive Parents: Bo often finds herself reflecting on her own grim history with her mother, as well as her adoptive parents’ harsh reactions after she unintentionally killed her first boyfriend.
- Action Girl: Bo is a clear example of this, despite her reputation as a succubus causing various people to assume she’s not much of a threat.
- Authority in Name Only: From a fae perspective, Bo claimed Camelot as her territory just by living there, but Bo has no interest in actually ruling the kingdom and just considers herself its protector.
- Bad Powers, Good People: Bo’s powers as a succubus are superficially evil, as she takes life energy from others and can control others with a touch, but she is nevertheless a good person.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Defied for Bo after she saves Morgana from a curse by taking it into herself. She is described as becoming increasingly pale and withdrawn as she remains in her comatose state from the curse, unable to feed on chi and Merlin only just able to feed her simple foods until she is cured by the Blood King.
- Failed a Spot Check: When Morgause learns that Bo assumed that she was interested in Morgana romantically, Morgause observes that Bo would have realised Morgause's regard for Morgana was sisterly if she had seen the two together, as opposed to seeing them on their own.
- Generation Xerox: Defied. Once Bo returns to the Fae kingdom, Trick observes that one reason for introducing her to the people as soon as possible is to affirm that this isn’t the case, as making her return public stops any chance of rumours that the Blood King is basically keeping the crazy princess locked up in a tower.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: After Bo realises that Morgana is in love with Merlin, followed by Kenzi admitting that she is aware that Merlin has feelings for Morgana, Bo contemplates breaking up with Merlin so that he can be with Morgana, but Kenzi explicitly states that would be stupid as it would just leave all three of them varying degrees of miserable now that Merlin and Bo have accepted their own feelings.
- Impossibly-Low Neckline: Bo jokingly observes that this is one of her best assets in combat, choosing outfits that expose her cleavage so potential opponents focus on her chest rather than her weapons.
- Intimate Healing: Obviously Bo requires sex to feed and heal, but this is particularly relevant as her first sexual encounters with Merlin and Morgana are each the result of her needing to heal; she and Merlin were attacked by bandits, and Bo suffered some minor scarring due to Morgana having a magical breakdown.
- Love Revelation Epiphany: Bo had a brief crush on Morgana upon arrival, but only realises that she has deeper-than-physical feelings for Morgana despite beginning a relationship with Merlin when Kenzi confronts Bo about her physically affectionate relationship with the other woman.
- My God, What Have I Done?: The first time Bo feeds in Camelot, she's so hungry that she kills her victim despite her best efforts to save him.
- Occult Blue Eyes: Bo explicitly demonstrates them to Morgana to convince her potential lover of her nature.
- Really Royalty Reveal: Bo is naturally stunned to learn that she is the granddaughter of the Blood King (she only knew that Trick was a Blood Sage in the future and didn't know he was her grandfather), and therefore the princess and heir to his kingdom.
- Reluctant Ruler: Bo is essentially being set up as this as she is uncomfortable with the idea that she is the heir to the Blood King's throne, even if the King suggests she could use her position to help others.
- Shipper on Deck: As well as encouraging Merlin and Morgana to accept their feelings for each other, Bo also takes steps to set Dyson up with an interested fae.
- Take a Third Option:
- Faced with the revelation that Merlin and Morgana have feelings for each other, Bo feels that her options are to either stay with Merlin and leave Morgana unhappy or break up with Merlin so that he can be with Morgana, but Kenzi suggests that Bo instead 'just' make their relationship a triad (Kenzi clarifying that she was always pressuring Bo to 'pick a team' back in the twenty-first century as sharing wouldn't have been an option when Dyson and Lauren were the choices).
- On a more serious note, when faced with the option of believing in Mordred's destiny to kill Arthur (Merlin) and trusting him as a child who hasn't done anything yet (Morgana), Bo is the one to suggest the compromise of getting Mordred away from his current guardian of Alvarr, in the hope that taking Mordred to a more pacifist group of druids will help him avoid his destiny.
- Tomato in the Mirror: Could be argued that Bo had this, as she spent her first few weeks in Camelot thinking of it as a pleasant holiday from her heartbreak over Dyson and Lauren until she found a way home, only to learn that this is her home time and she can’t be sent back to the present without risking serious damage to Time itself.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Bo expresses concern about her ability to rule the fae kingdom, Trick consoles her by pointing out that the fact that she's this concerned about the responsibilities of the role is proof that she will be a good ruler as she cares about the well-being of her potential future subjects.
Merlin
Merlin
Publically the manservant to Prince Arthur of Camelot, Merlin is secretly the prophesised Emrys, the most powerful magical being to ever exist, foretold to assist the Once and Future King. However, he finds himself exploring a new life when Bo and Kenzi arrive in Camelot, culminating in him falling in love with Bo and subsequently forming an unexpected relationship with her and Morgana.
- The Archmage: Bo is impressed to learn that Merlin is the subject of prophecies stating that he will be the most powerful sorcerer to ever live, advising great rulers.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Of the three, Merlin is the one most determined to protect others, to the point that he is initially uncomfortable at the idea of leaving Camelot even if it means staying with the women he loves (although Bo and Morgana are quick to "persuade" him to stay with them in the fae kingdom at least for the moment).
- Distracted by the Sexy: Comes up more than once after he begins his relationship with Bo; she even "convinced" him to let Morgana join their relationship by dressing them both in identical scant outfits for Merlin's birthday, leaving Merlin so stunned that he basically never bothered to voice any objections to the idea.
- Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Played with for Merlin regarding Aredian, as he has trouble initially comprehending the idea that anyone would fake a crisis just to get money despite Kenzi’s explanation.
- Hidden Badass: Those who learn about Merlin's magic are shocked to learn of his true potential power.
- Mental Affair: After Merlin starts to realise that he has romantic feelings for Morgana, he feels as though he is cheating on Bo by spending time with her, wondering if he is ‘using’ Morgana to satisfy his emotional needs (although, to his credit, he does his best to amend this by opening up more to Bo).
- Reed Richards Is Useless: A magical variation, as Merlin cannot send Bo and Kenzi back to the future despite his power, and is unable to cure Freya’s curse despite explicitly looking for a solution, even if he speculates that he might manage it if he had more time.
- Small Role, Big Impact: While the Merlin who lives in Camelot is a major character, his elderly future self of 2012 only made a brief appearance in the first chapter, but him sending Bo to her "proper" place in time establishes an entirely new course of events.
- Superpower Lottery: It is generally agreed that Merlin is the most powerful human sorcerer to ever exist, possessing a wide range of abilities beyond what most humans would be capable of.
- Took a Level in Badass: While Merlin was always skilled at using magic against his enemies in canon, his relationship with Bo inspires him to take more of a direct stand when required rather than operate from hiding through his use of magic. This ranges from openly telling Arthur he's wrong- to the point that he declares Arthur's opinion is "Bullshit" right in front of the prince- or taking a more physical approach to dealing with enemies such as beating Catrina's minion Jonas to death with a candlestick rather than a spell.
Morgana
Lady Morgana
Initially the ward of King Uther Pendragon of Camelot, Morgana begins to learn more about her true potential when she experiences prophetic dreams and starts to experience outbursts of magic. Seeking aid in understanding her abilities, she turns to Merlin and Bo for help, which leads to her falling in love with Merlin and being invited into an unexpected relationship with him and Bo even before she learns their secrets.
- Action Girl: Morgana had training in swordplay and combat even before she starts learning how to use magic.
- Adaptation Species Change: Morgana was presented as a human being wielding powerful magic in canon, but here she is revealed to have inherited fae traits from her mother, to the extent that she is essentially becoming at least part-fae herself.
Word of God notes that this was inspired by the original tales, where Morgan Le Fay was originally part-fairy; the idea of her being Arthur's sister was only introduced in later retellings. - Adaptational Heroism: Thanks to her relationship with Merlin and Bo giving her people she can confide in about her magic, Morgana is encouraged to reveal her abilities to Arthur and Gwen, culminating in her risking her life to stop Morgause's first major assault on Camelot.
- Arranged Marriage: In Chapter 50, Uther informs Morgana that he intends to have her married to the nearby Prince Urien, despite Morgana's knowledge that Urien has forced himself upon unwilling lower-class women in the past and will almost certainly be an abusive husband to her.
- Easily Forgiven: Although Morgause used Morgana as the focus of the sleeping curse that afflicted all of Camelot, once the curse is broken all of Morgana's loved ones assure her that they don't blame Morgana for being tricked (Kenzi is particularly angry about what happened, but makes it clear that she's consciously aware that Morgana didn't do anything on purpose).
- Fright-Induced Bunkmate: A semi-romantic, semi-platonic version of this trope features when Morgana asks to stay with Bo after a particularly troubling 'nightmare' about Bo's past wandering lost and her (unknown to Morgana) future meeting with Kilgharrah, this night together starting a trend of the two 'platonically' sharing a bed to help Morgana sleep better before their Relationship Upgrade.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Morgana is shocked to learn that her mother Vivienne was actually fae, but Vivienne was stripped of her powers after she fell in love with Gorlois. However, when Trick studies a sample of her blood, he is surprised to observe that Morgana not only inherited fae traits from her mother (normally fae-human offspring never inherit anything from their fae parent and are purely human), but the fae in her is becoming stronger, although Trick notes that he can't predict the extent of her changes.
- Heel Realization: Invoked when Morgana learns that Merlin was aware of her attempt to help Tauren assassinate Uther, and accepts that his knowledge of such an act justifies Merlin's later suspicions of her.
- I Have No Sister: After Morgause manipulated Morgana into allowing herself to be used as a host for the sleeping curse, and has confirmed that she cannot save Bo from Bo's own efforts to break the curse, Morgana tells Morgause to leave Camelot and never return, declaring that after Morgause left her alone for years and only came to use her as a pawn in a larger scheme Morgana has no interest in considering the other woman a sister.
- If It's You, It's Okay: Even before Morgana is introduced to the idea that two women can be romantically involved, she had mused that Bo would be the perfect suitor if she had been born a man, and Kenzi noted that Morgana was physically affectionate towards Bo to such a degree that even Kenzi didn't think she enjoyed spending that much time hugging her best friend. Once Bo suggests Morgana join her relationship with Merlin, Morgana initially has trouble going along with more openly romantic gestures, to the extent that she briefly contemplates breaking their relationship off, but Bo deliberately staying behind to help protect Morgana from Hengist's forces helps Morgana accept the depth of her own feelings. By the time Morgause comes to Camelot, Morgana is willing to assure Bo that the succubus is the only woman she will ever love, accepting that she cares for Bo as a person who just happens to be a woman rather than being interested in women in general.
- Jerkass Realization: When Morgana is contemplating letting Uther die during the invasion of the Knights of Medhir, a talk with Dyson reminds her that Bo and Merlin wouldn't do something like that, driving Morgana to push that part of herself down as she wants to be worthy of them both.
- Love Revelation Epiphany: After Bo first kisses Morgana, she takes time to process the idea of two women loving each other in that sense, but ultimately Hengist's attempt to capture her and Bo's subsequent Heroic Sacrifice help Morgana recognise her true feelings for Bo.
- Morality Chain: Morgana explicitly reflects that Bo and Merlin are the reason she wants to be good. When she finds herself thinking about the possibility of just letting Uther die during the Knights of Medhir's attack on Camelot, a talk with Dyson reminds her that Bo and Merlin are too noble to take the option of just not saving Uther even if it would solve their problems, and she wants to be worthy of their love.
- Morton's Fork: While still living in Camelot, Morgana reflects in a conversation with Bo and Merlin that their relationship will probably never be publicly accepted in the court as things stand. She openly speculates that even when Arthur becomes king, the best scenario she can picture is Arthur promoting Merlin to a level where Merlin can marry either Bo or Morgana and make the other his mistress, and that option still wouldn't properly acknowledge Bo and Morgana's relationship with each other.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- As a minor example, Morgana blames herself when she learns that encouraging Gwen to get together with Lancelot ended Gwen's secret relationship with Arthur despite Gwen and Arthur having genuine feelings for each other.
- Morgana is faced with a more serious version of this when she realises that Morgause manipulated her into consenting to serve as the source of the sleeping curse afflicting the rest of Camelot, as Morgana's desire to find a way to get Bo out of an arranged marriage nearly led to the deaths of everyone they care for during Morgause's invasion of Camelot.
- Property of Love: When Morgana is assuring Bo that she didn't think about how her interaction with Morgause might have come across as flirting, Bo declares that Morgana is hers and Morgana breathlessly agrees.
- Refreshingly Normal Life-Choice: Invoked when Morgana muses that even if she misses the comforts of Camelot, she'd rather be with Bo and Merlin in a place where she essentially has no noble status than spend time sitting on a throne beside a man she doesn't love.
- Refuge in Audacity: When sneaking out to meet Morgause, Morgana observes that she doesn't need to dress down or disguise herself when moving around Camelot at night, as her status as Uther's ward would stop anyone from questioning her activities.
- Show Some Leg: Morgana is persuaded to join Bo in doing this as a treat for Merlin's birthday to "encourage" him to accept Bo's suggestion of adding Morgana to their relationship.
- Strong Family Resemblance: When Morgana first meets the Blood King, she is attacked because she is mistaken for her mother Vivienne, before Merlin and Dyson manage to stop the conflict and make it clear that Morgana is Vivenne’s daughter. Even then, the Blood King has to spent a few moments looking closely at Morgana to determine that she is a different person from Vivienne, and only accepts the explanation as Vivienne would obviously look older after being away for forty years.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: Defied; Morgana muses that she was never very good at sketching or sewing, preferring fencing and horseback riding.
- Why Can't I Hate You?: Invoked when Morgana first learns about Merlin’s magic, as she’s torn between loving him for helping her and hating him for lying about the extent of his knowledge for so long.
The Court of Camelot
In General
A prominent human kingdom in the land of Albion, Camelot has been ruled by Uther Pendragon for the better part of two decades. While Uther pursues his own purge of magic to eliminate the perceived dangers of such power, he is unaware that many key figures in his court are magical beings themselves, and others have come to sympathise with those who wield magic and have vowed to protect the innocent from the worst of Uther's fanaticism.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Bo and Kenzi have to deal with a few situations where their own social expectations clash with what's expected of the residents of Camelot;
- From their arrival in Camelot, they have to avoid awkward questions about their clothes by claiming the sorcerer that sent them to Camelot changed their attire, as local clothing makes it clear that the kingdom wouldn't approve of Bo and Kenzi wearing such revealing clothing by their own choice. Early on Bo is surprised when she is told that her current attire is regarded as "underwear" in Camelot, when from Bo's perspective it covers more than her usual clothes.
- Bo is sometimes surprised about the idea that this society expects her to be 'virginal' and 'pure', which hampers her plans to escape Hengist's men as they're reluctant to do anything that would 'damage the goods'.
- Lancelot unwittingly offends Kenzi when he suggests that her future husband could provide for her rather than her needing to worry about such a thing herself, although he's quick to apologise once he realises he offended her.
- Bo is shocked when Morgana offers to duel Arthur and have Gwen put in the stocks when she realises that they believe Bo is cheating on Merlin with Morgana. While Morgana's culture demands these responses, Bo is willing to acknowledge that Arthur and Gwen's basic motives were good and would prefer to explain her side and give them a chance to apologise.
- Closest Thing We Got: After the triad and Dyson depart Camelot, the kingdom’s main defenders against magical threats are essentially four Badass Normal heroes with Gaius as their mentor. While the other knights play their part, Arthur, Gwen, Lancelot and Kenzi are the ones most aware of the truth of magic.
- Interspecies Friendship: Key members of the court consider various beings of magic to be their friends.
- Muggle Best Friend: Arthur, Gwen and Kenzi are this to Merlin, Morgana and Bo respectively (Lancelot is also a good friend to Merlin and Dyson in particular).
- Occult Detective: Kenzi made a semi-living as this in the future, and the rest of the group are pretty good at investigating magical mysteries even with the kingdom's primary magical defenders absent.
Uther
King Uther Pendragon
The king of Camelot, Uther has been leading a purge against magic for two decades since the death of his wife Ygraine. While he is generally a good king when not dealing with matters of magic, Uther’s ruthless prosecution turns several people against him, with even his own children rejecting his campaign as they learn the truth about his vendetta.
- Broken Pedestal: Uther’s actions cost him the respect of his children, to the extent that Arthur and Morgana only choose not to kill him because they don’t want to be as ruthless as he is.
- Dirty Old Man: Referenced when Uther is briefly brought under Bo's influence while she tries to persuade him to be lenient towards Freya and Lancelot, but generally subverted as Uther is a gentleman towards Bo when in control of himself.
- Entertainingly Wrong: While Uther correctly realises that Morgana is romantically involved with Bo, he makes a more significant error when he assumes that Arthur is engaged in a similarly sexual relationship with Merlin, later concluding that Arthur had at least a brief fling with Gwaine.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Uther might be a jerk, but he isn’t evil enough for Bo and Merlin to want to kill him, particularly not when they know that it would hurt Arthur.
- Everyone Has Standards: Morgana is surprised to learn that Uther is aware of even the possibility that men and women can be attracted to others of their own gender and expresses no significant distaste at the idea so long as the relevant parties are discreet. However, Uther's tolerance for this has limits; when Morgana is forced to justify her being outside of Camelot during a raid on a druid camp by claiming that they wanted to be alone together, Uther orders this relationship to end so that he can make arrangements for suitable marriages for Bo and Morgana.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: While Uther is a comparatively lighter shade of evil than most, he still assumes that the only reason Arthur is upset at Gwaine leaving Camelot is because the two men were having a sexual relationship, rather than realise that Arthur is angry that a good man like Gwaine has been banished from Camelot even after it is confirmed he didn't do anything wrong.
- Fantastic Racism: His hatred of magic and magical beings has driven him to destroy several people who would have been content to be left alone.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Uther has essentially become this by the start of Lost Kingdom, as while the likes of Gaius and Leon respect Uther as Camelot's king nobody who knows him well actually likes him as a person, only tolerating Uther as king because he's generally a good ruler when magic isn't involved.
- Never My Fault: When Arthur tries to confront Uther about his knowledge of the truth about his birth, he muses that he could accept his father’s actions if Uther just admitted he approached a sorceress for help conceiving an heir and genuinely didn’t know the consequences of such a deal. However, even when Arthur attempts to subtly offer his father a chance to claim that he just didn't know what price would be demanded for Arthur's existence, Uther continues to deny that he did anything wrong and just blames magic for Ygraine’s death instead of acknowledging his own role.
- Puppet King: When Bo meets other fae, to prevent them staging their own coup of Camelot, she claims that she is the true ruler of the kingdom and she essentially "lets" Uther think he’s still in charge so he can deal with the fine details she wouldn’t be interested in doing herself.
- Rules Lawyer: In an interesting sense, Uther does this to himself; when Bo uses her abilities to convince Uther to let Lancelot remain in Camelot, he appoints Lancelot Dyson's manservant rather than make him a knight again.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Arthur finds himself thinking of Uther as this when the king doesn’t rescind the order for Gwaine’s banishment once it’s been proven that Gwaine never attacked knights but instead stopped two disguised thugs from assaulting a noblewoman.
- Vetinari Job Security: As in canon, the only reason nobody else in Camelot wants Uther dead already is that his demise would leave Camelot in an unstable position. While a growing number of people are certain that Arthur will be a better king when the time comes, they all accept that Arthur isn’t ready for that responsibility yet, and he’d have to deal with too many issues if he or any of his allies killed his father.
Arthur
Prince Arthur Pendragon
The crown prince of Camelot, Arthur is destined to become the Once and Future King who will restore magic to the kingdom. As he learns more about the true origin of his father's vendetta against magic, Arthur has already begun to work to atone for his father's ruthlessness, working to protect the more innocent magic users in the kingdom from being prosecuted by Uther's vendetta.
- Badass Normal: Regarded as Camelot’s greatest warrior now that his father is too old to regularly engage in combat, although for a time he is unable to show this as Bo in particular unintentionally deals with certain threats before he can get involved.
- Brain Bleach: Arthur starts throwing up when he witnesses his father leave for his bedroom with the now-exposed troll Lady Catrina, particularly after Kenzi questions if a troll and a human can have sex and then openly wonders whether or not the troll is female.
- Broken Pedestal: Arthur's thoughts on Uther are essentially ruined for good when he learns that Uther's campaign against magic began after the death of Arthur's mother, as Arthur can recognise that Ygraine died because of the rules of magic where Uther is blaming magic itself.
- Easily Forgiven: When Arthur explains to Mordred that he originally attacked Mordred's previous camp because he thought that Morgana had been abducted, Mordred recognises that Arthur's intentions were good and accepts his apology.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: When Lancelot returns to Camelot, Arthur breaks off his potential relationship with Gwen as he believes that she would be happier with Lancelot, unaware that Gwen has moved beyond her old feelings.
- It's All My Fault: Arthur is shown to be tormented at the idea that his mother died because of him, even if he obviously didn't have a choice in the circumstances of his birth.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When Arthur confronts Alvarr and Mordred, he apologises to them both for his past actions against the druids, specifically regretting how he attacked the druid camp where Mordred lived in the belief that he was 'rescuing' Morgana from a kidnapping attempt.
- Old Shame: When Morgana mentions the past experience with Sophia as proof of her ability to see the future, Arthur reflects that he's still embarrassed to recall his behaviour during those events and how Merlin supposedly knocked him out to bring him back, although he consoles himself with the knowledge that Merlin must have used magic to stop him rather than just hitting him with a lump of wood.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: With Arthur more aware of magic, he and Lancelot quickly guess that something is wrong with “Oswald” after spotting various subtle shifts in his personality. However, they assume Oswald’s under an enchantment to attack Arthur, rather than realise that he’s actually been replaced by the thugs from the tavern who will be after Lancelot and Kenzi.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Arthur takes this role in investigating various threats to Camelot, and does his best to protect more innocent magic-users from Uther's prosecution as he learns the truth about magic.
- Selective Obliviousness: Invoked when Arthur wonders at how he missed the evidence that Merlin had magic. When Gwen reveals that she found Bo and Morgana in bed together in a manner that makes it clear they were lovers, Arthur has to be assured by Gwen that the idea of Morgana being romantically interested in other women was a surprise to Gwen as well and it wasn't just him who missed such clues.
- Taking the Heat: After Gwaine and Kenzi steal some food and liquor from Camelot's private stores since all public houses have been warned not to serve Kenzi, Arthur claims it was him so that the other two don't get into trouble.
- Took a Level in Kindness: After Arthur learns the truth about Merlin's magic, he expresses concerns when ordered to go after a druid camp, now able to recognise the distinction between going after known enemies such as Alvarr and being sent to capture innocent women and children who just happen to be druids.
Gwen
Guinevere
While "officially" Gwen is just Morgana's maid, the two have long since come to consider each other friends even if they don't advertise it openly. While she was attracted to Lancelot in the past, as Arthur has matured he and Gwen have developed deeper feelings for each other. After learning the truth about Bo, Merlin and Morgana's magical natures, Gwen has joined Arthur in recognising that Uther's prosecution of magic is wrong.
- All Women Are Prudes: Gwen is the most distinct example of this in Camelot, initially embarrassed to walk in on Bo and Morgana naked in bed together, although she becomes more relaxed about the triad dynamic once assured that all three participants are happy about it.
- Morality Pet: Gwen’s role as this is emphasised by proxy when Merlin mentions that he chose to stop Morgana killing Uther because Gwen declared she wouldn’t have killed Uther in revenge for her father’s death, prompting Morgana to recognise that she wanted to kill Uther for herself rather than for the sake of someone else.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Gwen worries that she never noticed the truth about Morgana's magic because she was so caught up in her new relationship with Arthur, but Morgana assures her that part of the blame lies with Morgana's concerns about how Gwen would feel about magic in the first place.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Gwen being so hostile to Bo after she discovered Bo and Morgana in bed together was an immediate shock to Merlin and Morgana, until they determined that Gwen's hostility was because she and Arthur thought that Bo was cheating on Merlin with Morgana rather than the two objecting to their existing triad dynamic.
- Textile Work Is Feminine: Invoked when Morgana muses that Gwen's skill at embroidery in particular is so good that Morgana felt embarrassed to attempt anything that would be compared to Gwen’s work.
Gaius
Gaius
Camelot’s court physician, and Merlin’s mentor in magic. As others learn about Merlin's true nature, Gaius has begun advising others as they face the moral dilemmas of upholding the spirit of Uther's laws while still working to protect the innocent.
- The Consigliere: Gaius generally tries to be this to Uther, advising the king to show leniency in cases even if his efforts are rarely successful. When Arthur learns the truth about Merlin’s magic, Gaius is more willing to offer explicit advice to Arthur about how some magic users will be active enemies of Camelot rather than victims of Uther’s Fantastic Racism.
- Court Physician: Regularly acts as this for Camelot in the present, although it is implied that he was the Court Mage in the past.
- The Medic: His main role in Camelot, which allows him to help cover for Bo and Merlin's initial feeding sessions by claiming he's treating Bo for a recurring medical condition.
- The Mentor: Serves as this for many of the younger characters through his knowledge of magic and the nobles of the kingdom, offering them advice about the current threat or suggesting their next course of action.
- Secret-Keeper: The first person to be aware of Merlin and Bo's relationship and Bo's nature as a succubus, although as events unfold others learn the truth about Merlin's magic and Bo's nature.
- Team Dad: For Merlin in particular, but as others learn about Merlin's magic he is willing to act in this role for others in the court, most notably in helping Arthur accept how there are still going to be dangerous men out there practising magic, even if Arthur now accepts that just having magic doesn't make a person evil.
Kenzi
Mackenzie "Kenzi" Malikov
Bo’s best friend, she was banished into the past along with Bo by a mysterious old man. Taking advantage of Uther’s misinterpretations of the situation, Kenzi essentially tricks him into appointing her a noblewoman of Camelot. Forced to remain in the kingdom after the triad leave to seek a cure for Bo's curse, Kenzi has formed a complex relationship with Lancelot.
- Action Fashionista: Having accepted her new life in Camelot, Kenzi enjoys designing and wearing elaborate clothes for herself and her friends.
- And I Must Scream: When Kenzi is possessed by the goblin, she immediately finds herself basically a prisoner in her own body, able to witness the goblin's actions but unable to stop them.
- Badass Normal: While Kenzi is not as strong a fighter as others, her determination ensures that it would be a mistake to underestimate her.
- Bring My Brown Pants: At least suggested; when Bo and Kenzi first meet Kilgharrah, Kenzi observes that she either has sweat running down her legs or she just peed herself from terror.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Kenzi might wear black as her default colour of choice, but she remains one of the most light-hearted characters.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Kenzi is revealed to have resorted to this once Bo left, feeling as though she has lost her first real friend and the reason her life became so much better.
- The Fixer: Kenzi is essentially this, to the point that she manages to put together two identical sexy outfits for Bo and Morgana on very short notice.
- Fragile Speedster: Kenzi acknowledges at one point that this is basically her main strength as a fighter, recognising that she couldn't match others in hand-to-hand combat but she'd do better if she took people by surprise.
- Motor Mouth: To more humourous extent than usual, as most of Kenzi’s references are dated for the future so most of Camelot has no idea what she’s talking about (Happy Meals, Barbies, The Hunger Games, etc.)
- The Nicknamer: Kenzi retains this habit from her life in the future, such as referring to Morgana as 'Camelot Barbie' or taking to calling Kilgharrah "Kilgs" despite his displeasure at the name.
- Non-Idle Rich: Kenzi essentially tries to be this after Bo's departure, but finds it hard to do more when standards of the time means most people wouldn't take her seriously.
- Pragmatic Hero: Kenzi basically invokes this when the group are planning who will go to the fae kingdom with Bo, Merlin and Morgana; while Kenzi would like to stay with her best friend, she recognises that Dyson is the better candidate as he knows fae culture and would be better-suited to appeal to the Blood King without causing any unintentional insult.
- Refusing Paradise: In a sense; despite Kenzi's complaints about some aspects of life in Camelot, such as the lack of proper toilet facilities or good music, when given the chance to return to her home time, Kenzi declines in favour of staying with Bo, who can’t go back to 2012 for various reasons.
- Shipper on Deck: Kenzi favours Bo/Merlin when she becomes aware that Merlin has feelings for Bo, but is quick to adapt that to Bo/Merlin/Morgana when she learns that Morgana is a potential factor as well.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Kenzi feels guilty over being angry at Morgana for Bo taking on the sleeping curse herself even though she knows Morgana didn't do any of that on purpose, Lancelot assures Kenzi that her emotions are natural and the fact that she's actively trying to avoid attacking someone she recognises as innocent shows that Kenzi is a good person.
Lancelot
Lancelot
Briefly a knight of Camelot before he was banished for lying about his heritage, Lancelot returns to Camelot after joining forces with Dyson as a warrior in Heingist’s fortress. He is ultimately allowed to remain as Dyson’s manservant (thanks to Uther being "persuaded" by Bo) and forms an unconventional friendship with Kenzi. Following the triad's departure from Camelot, Lancelot has become Arthur's servant and is becoming more aware of his new feelings for Kenzi.
- Badass Normal: By the time Bo arrives in Heingist’s fortress, Lancelot had formed a good friendship with Dyson as the two were allies in Heingist’s cage matches, despite Lancelot being only human compared to Dyson’s powers as a fae.
- Becoming the Mask: Lancelot explicitly acknowledges to himself that he has developed genuine feelings for Kenzi, as opposed to them initially faking a relationship to help Gwen and Arthur feel better about getting together.
- Beware the Nice Ones: When Lancelot and Gwaine save Kenzi from being assaulted, an outraged Lancelot stabs Kenzi's would-be rapist in the chest even when the other man was unarmed (albeit because he'd removed his sword-belt in preparation of his assault).
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: While Lancelot was glad to be reunited with Gwen after his initial return to Camelot, their 'reunion' only lasts a few weeks before Lancelot realises Gwen's new feelings for Arthur and ends his own relationship with her.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: While cleaning out the castle library, Lancelot unintentionally unleashes a trapped goblin after it tricks him by presenting itself as an innocent victim locked away for no reason.
- Take Up My Sword: With Merlin having left with Bo, Morgana and Dyson, Lancelot takes Merlin's role as Arthur's manservant to justify him remaining in Camelot.
- You Remind Me of X: When talking with Lancelot, Kenzi compares him to her would-have-been love interest Nate, in that both men always knew what they really wanted to be and were truly passionate about their goals, where Kenzi has never been sure about what she wants from her future.
Leon
Sir Leon
A long-standing knight of Camelot.
- Flat Character: At one point Kenzi describes Leon as having "the personality of wet cardboard" even if she doesn't actually dislike him.
- Locked Out of the Loop: With the obvious exception of Uther, Leon is the only prominent member of the court of Camelot unaware of the kingdom's magical defenders and the new plan to adopt a more benevolent view, as his adherence to the rules means that Arthur and the others can't be sure how he would react to the truth.
- Prince Charmless: When Bo and Morgana learn that Uther intends to pair Bo off with Sir Leon in a Bureaucratically Arranged Marriage, both women recognise that the knight would essentially be this for Bo. While Leon has many good qualities, his dedication to the rules and his very nature as a human guarantee that he is completely wrong for Bo for personal and practical reasons, as she couldn't sustain herself by feeding on him alone and he wouldn't accept what she would have to do to feed if they were married. When he attempts to talk to Bo after the arrangement is announced, their interaction is so awkward both parties recognise that they just aren't a good match.
The Kingdom of the Blood King
In General
Far from Camelot, hidden beyond the Perilous Lands, exists the kingdom of the Fae, ruled by the powerful Blood King who wrote the rules that ended the Great War between the Light and Dark Fae at a terrible personal cost. When Bo is struck down by Morgause's curse, her lovers, Dyson and Kilgharrah travel to the kingdom to cure her condition, leading to the triad in particular making a new life for themselves.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Just as Bo had to deal with various unexpected details while adjusting to life in Camelot, Merlin and Morgana face their own challenges adjusting to life in a Fae kingdom;
- The past Dyson is somewhat surprised at the human notion of women as fragile things that need to be protected, as fae women are often just as formidable fighters as men.
- When the group arrive in the Blood King’s territory, Dyson has to warn Merlin and Morgana to stay in his rooms and avoid wandering around the castle in case other fae object to their presence, observing that they’re used to seeing Bo and Kenzi interact in places where humans outnumber fae. He explicitly notes that in his old king’s castle, some humans were kept in conditions that would make dog kennels look luxurious by comparison.
- Various fae are relatively dismissive towards Merlin and Morgana as anything more than the equivalent of pets given the difference in their lifespans, even if they don't mean anything outright cruel by it and some are still willing to respect their magical potential. Merlin reflects that he’s used to being treated as inferior by those of higher standing, so finds it easier to accept the idea of being treated as lesser than the fae than Morgana, even if the scale of their situation is still unsettling to both.
- On the other hand, Merlin and Morgana are intrigued to learn that two women in the guard are married to each other, and Bo is soon assured that the Blood King has no issue with his granddaughter being involved with two people at once (although he appears to regard Bo's relationship with Merlin and Morgana as a mere fling as she essentially "uses" them as a food source, rather than seriously considering the idea that she chose to be with them for emotional reasons as well).
- Immortality Immorality: Fae are so long-lived that it's noted that it's harder for them to get emotionally involved in the lives of humans. When Morgana is first confronted with this particular issue, she becomes caught up in wondering how many centuries it would take for Bo to basically forget everything Morgana and Merlin mean to her now, even if Morgana accepts that Bo will care about them, Kenzi, and her other mortal friends for the rest of their human lives.
- This Is My Human: Not only are humans basically regarded as pets by most Fae, but some fae are so dismissive towards humans that they aren't sure how long long humans live ‘in the wild’, and at least one believed it was acceptable to only feed a human once every week rather than multiple times a day.
The Blood King
Fitzpatrick “Trick” McCorrigan
The ruler of a large Fae Kingdom, the Blood King wrote the rules that ended the Great Wars centuries ago, even though it cost him his only daughter when he had to sacrifice her to keep the peace. He is subsequently overjoyed to be reunited with his lost granddaughter, Bo, when she is brought back to his kingdom to seek a cure for a dangerous curse.
- Entertainingly Wrong: When Trick sees Bo react to meeting Evony, he assumes this is due to Bo being interested in the other woman, when in reality Bo is shocked to witness the woman she knew in the future as the Morrigan.
- Evil Is Petty: While the Blood King isn’t exactly “evil”, this is the best way to describe his treatment of Kilgharrah, driving the entire dragon race to extinction to punish Kilgharrah for taking part in an Under-Fae rebellion that didn’t even succeed. Even when Kilgharrah returns with his lost granddaughter, the Blood King makes it clear that the dragon basically had to act as transport for a couple of humans to reinforce the King’s own authority and suggest how the dragon had been ‘humbled’ by his punishment.
- Have We Met Yet?: When Bo meets the Blood King and "recognises" him as Trick, although the Blood King is aware that she has lived in the future, Bo swiftly has to remind herself not to ask how he went from being the Blood King to working as a bartender at a waystation, as from the perspective of this version of Trick he hasn't actually done that yet.
- Modest Royalty: Compared to some of his court, the Blood King is described as being more modestly dressed, his fine garments in simpler hues apart from some gold trim and wearing a crown with a few gems in it.
- Morton's Fork: Reflecting on how he had to give Aife to the Dark to preserve the new peace after she tried to kill her mother’s murderer, Trick reflects that he only had bad options at that point, as the option he chose cost him his only child but if he had tried to protect Aife he would have broken the laws he himself had written and risked provoking a new wave of conflict.
- My Greatest Failure:
- Trick seems to consider his treatment of Aife as this; he tried to appeal to her sense of duty to make her understand why he couldn't seek revenge for her mother's death, but he failed to understand the depths of her grief and rage over the loss.
- To a lesser extent, he also expresses regret over the death of Morgana's mother, as Vivienne wouldn't have died of an illness if he hadn't stripped her of her powers, even if Bo and Morgana accept that he did the best he could in the circumstances.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: On the one hand, the Blood King is rather petty in his treatment of Kilgharrah, taking action basically guaranteed to humiliate the dragon even after centuries since Kilgharrah aided the under-fae rebellion. On the other hand, when Dyson explains that they came to the kingdom to ask for the Blood King’s help curing their friend, the Blood King is impressed at the lengths they have gone to on Bo’s behalf and assures Dyson that he will cure Bo even if she turns out not to be his lost granddaughter, observing that she must be special to have inspired such loyalty. While he is relatively dismissive of Merlin and Morgana as anything more than his granddaughters' human pets, he respects Bo's concerns for them and treats them as relative equals when talking with the two even when Bo is not present.
- Unishment: His decision to deal with Vivienne and Gorlois’s relationship by stripping Vivienne of her powers seems to have been intended as this, as it officially punished Vivienne for defying the rules against fae marrying humans but allowed Vivienne to be with the man she loved.
Dyson
Dyson
A wolf-shifter and Light Fae who left his original pack after his then-king caused the death of his friend Stefan. Meeting Lancelot during his travels, Dyson eventually meets Bo while he and Lancelot are forced to fight for Heingist, which leads to him being declared a Knight of Camelot. He accompanied the triad to the kingdom of the Blood King when seeking a cure for Bo after she fell victim to a dangerous curse.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: The best description of Bo's new dynamic with Dyson after she meets his past self. With Bo already in a relationship with Merlin and Morgana by the time she meets the younger Dyson, she swiftly acknowledges to herself that she no longer has feelings for him, and Dyson in turn respects Bo as Camelot's fae ruler but has no romantic interest in her.
- Blood Knight: While Dyson isn't completely fanatical about combat, his past history has made him a more ruthless warrior by default than the other knights in Camelot. Bo has to explicitly remind Dyson to go easier on the knights during training sessions as they're only human and hence would lack the enhanced healing of his former fae associates.
- Doppelgänger Gets Same Sentiment: Defied in principle; when Bo is explaining her status as resident fae in Camelot to the younger Dyson, she reminds herself that she doesn't know this Dyson well enough to be honest with him. After spending time getting to know this Dyson as his own person, Bo apologises for initially insisting he come back to Camelot because he reminds her of an old lover, but Dyson assures Bo that he understands her reasons.
- Faking the Dead: During the confrontation with Alvarr's forces, Dyson uses his Healing Factor to do this after he's stabbed in the throat, holding the wound closed and pretending to be dead until their enemies have gone.
- Have We Met Yet?: Bo is so shocked when she sees Dyson in Hengist's fortress that she needs a moment to confirm that she's looking at the Dyson of this era rather than the time-displaced Dyson of the future.
- Healing Factor: While not as significant a part of his abilities as Bo’s own ability to heal, at one point Dyson is stabbed in the throat and manages to save himself by holding the wound closed until it can heal before he bleeds to death.
- Honorary True Companion: While Dyson leaves Camelot after a relatively short time as one of the kingdom’s knights, he muses that he prefers his allies there over his old pack as these humans demonstrated a greater sense of loyalty to each other than his former pack.
- The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body: Invoked when Dyson recalls how he first met Lancelot, as he spent several weeks in his wolf-shape to escape his human guilt at the loss of his friend and his exile from his pack, as his wolf self didn't have to deal with his more complex emotions.
- Morton's Fork: When reflecting on whether or not to stay in Camelot, Dyson observes that he isn't comfortable swearing his loyalty to a new king after the last king he swore an oath to killed his best friend to basically steal the man's wife for himself, but he isn't comfortable just going off and becoming a wanderer either. When Bo talks with him about how exactly he "failed" to save Stefan from the king's betrayal, Bo helps Dyson accept that trading his wolf to the Norn to save Stefan's life would have ultimately amounted to this, as the king would have likely just kept sending Stefan on more fatal missions until he actually died and/or Dyson ran out of things to trade to the Norn.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: Turns into a wolf, but he was born this way rather than being bitten and infected.
- Pragmatic Hero: Dyson demonstrates this during the assault of the Knights of Medhir; where the others want to protect Gaius, Gwen and Kenzi as well as Uther, Dyson points out that nobody outside of Camelot is going to be interested in the physician, a maidservant and a relatively random noblewoman, so it's best that they focus on protecting the king.
- Ship Tease: After arriving in the kingdom of the Blood King, Bo takes steps to set Dyson up with Esperanza, a member of the kingdom's guard who can turn into a fox.
- Token Non-Human: Dyson is the only Knight of Camelot not to be a Badass Normal human but instead a supernaturally enhanced Fae.
- Undying Loyalty: While he fled his former pack after he became disgusted with their king’s manipulations, once Dyson becomes part of life in Camelot he is quick to recognise that Bo is deserving of his respect as the Fae ruler of the kingdom, to the extent that he pledges his loyalty to her. When he appeals to the Blood King to help cure Bo after she takes a curse into herself, the Blood King observes that he'll do it even if Bo isn't his lost granddaughter as she must be an exceptional individual to have inspired such loyalty. While Dyson now trains alongside the rest of the Blood King's guards, Trick has referred to Dyson as Bo's "swordsman", suggesting that he is essentially regarded as Bo's personal defender in particular.
Gabriel
Gabriel
A guard in the Blood King's kingdom.- Crippling Overspecialization: While Gabriel has power over all four classical elements, he admits that he tends to focus on fire in a fight, and so doesn't use his abilities to their fullest potential.
- Elemental Powers: Gabriel is an elemental who can control all four classical elements, although he tends to focus on using fire in combat.
Zhadi
Zhadi
A guard in the Blood King's kingdom.- Happily Married: Zhadi is married to Mireya, another guard.
- Self-Duplication: Zhadi has the ability to duplicate herself.
Mireya
Mireya
A guard in the Blood King's kingdom.- Cat Girl: Mireya can transform into a lioness.
- Happily Married: Mireya is married to Zhadi, another guard.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: Mireya has no problem standing in public while completely naked after turning back from her lion form to her human form.
Esperanza
Esperanza
A guard in the Blood King's kingdom.- Our Werewolves Are Different: She's a shifter, but where Dyson turns into a wolf, Esperanza turns into a fox.
- Ship Tease: Bo takes credit for encouraging Esperanza to approach Dyson about her own interest in him.
Olga
Olga
A servant in the Blood King’s palace, Olga is assigned to serve as Bo’s personal maid.- Almighty Janitor: Olga is at least suggested to be this, as she has served the Blood King since Aife was a child and is trusted enough that Trick had no fear about sending her to Bo where many in his kingdom still feared even the memory of Aife’s madness.
- Innocently Insensitive: Had to be explicitly told to put Merlin and Morgana’s food on the table alongside Bo’s own dish, rather than leave it on the floor like they’re dogs, but this just seemed to have been Olga making a dismissive assumption caused by a lack of experience with humans rather than an action motivated by any kind of active prejudice.
Evony
Evony Fleurette Marquise
A Leann Sidhe, Evony becomes the Morrigan in Bo’s future, although at present she is “just” one of many heirs to noble Dark Fae families.
- Have We Met Yet?: When Bo is first officially presented to the court as the returned princess, she is just able to restrain her reaction when one of the heirs she is introduced to is Evony, who she knew in the future as the Morrigan.
- The Muse: As a Leann Sidhe, Evony "feeds" by basically driving artists insane.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Witnessing Evony's distant relationship with her father, Bo finds herself reminded of her own struggles to cope with her adoptive mother's strict demands.
- Rich Bitch: Her father is a key noble in the Blood King's court and encourages Evony to help further his own ambitions.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Compared to the Morrigan of the future, Bo is shocked to see that Evony in this time period seems to be genuinely happy and polite, rather than just putting on appearances, even if her elitist attitude is still there.
Aife
Aife
Bo’s long-lost mother and the daughter of the Blood King. While she was presumed dead after Bo’s last encounter with her in the future, her status in the era of Camelot is unknown.
- Being Tortured Makes You Evil: All parties agree that Aife’s torture by the Dark during her captivity drove her insane, although she was already consumed by her need for revenge before that.
- Noodle Incident:
- Aife apparently sent the infant Bo into the future for her own safety through making an unspecified deal with the Norn.
- Even before her mother’s death and her subsequent imprisonment, Aife was apparently a troublemaker; Trick recalls one occasion where a teenage Aife seduced the heirs of three rival families and nearly escalated a blood feud of eight centuries into open war.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Bo’s maid Olga has told Bo various stories about Aife’s childhood, such as how she wanted a pink winged unicorn for her fifth birthday, although apparently Aife became wilder after her powers manifested even before her mother’s death.
Druids
Freya
Freya
A druid girl who was subject to a curse after she killed the son of a sorceress in self-defence.
- All Women Are Prudes: Freya is shown to be embarrassed at just the idea of wearing some of Kenzi's clothing when the other woman offers to lend her something to wear.
- Demoted to Extra: While Freya is still the focus of an attempted rescue, where she was Merlin's love interest in the show, in this version she's just a victim that Bo, Kenzi and Merlin become friends with (Bo is hinted to be attracted to Freya, but it isn't developed in depth).
- The Lost Lenore: Averted; where Freya was basically this for Merlin in canon, here Merlin never sees her as more than someone he has to save, and while Bo is hinted to be attracted to Freya, she never tries to make it more before Freya is killed.
- Shipper on Deck: In a subtle way, she encourages Bo to acknowledge her deeper feelings for Merlin by letting the succubus know how much Merlin cares for her in turn.
Mordred
Mordred
Although only a young boy, Mordred has shown significant talent in magic. He is foretold to be the one who will kill Arthur, but Bo encourages Merlin to explore other possibilities.
- Ambiguously Evil: When talking about the prophecy that Mordred will kill Arthur, Morgana asserts that Mordred hasn't actually done anything to merit Merlin's suspicions yet, although Merlin counters by recalling Mordred's "self-defence" in a previous encounter.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Talking with Arthur about his motives for attacking Mordred's last druid camp, Mordred accepts that Arthur just made a mistake trying to find Morgana when he thought she was in danger, and agrees to accompany Merlin to find a new group of druids to live with.
- Child Prodigy: He is observed as being particularly powerful in his use of magic even as a child.
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Designated Villain: Defied; while Merlin is initially suspicious of Mordred, he accepts Bo's counter-argument that their goal should be to give Mordred a chance to be better rather than constantly be suspicious of him. - Screw Destiny: Arguably became the personification of Bo's views on the topic; where Morgana just argued that they should trust Mordred when he hadn't done anything yet and Merlin was concerned about the prophecy of his role in Arthur's death, Bo suggested they take active steps to get Mordred away from his current guardian and given a chance to grow up among people who wouldn't let him become a killer.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Brought up by Merlin regarding Mordred attacking the knights in their previous encounter. Merlin can accept that Mordred had the right to defend himself, but recalling how the knights Mordred attacked are still feeling the pain of their injuries, Merlin can't shake the thought that he would have been disturbed to do that kind of damage to someone if he'd been in that position at Mordred's age.
Alvarr
Alvarr
The leader of a group of druid seeking Uther’s downfall, he was described as a fanatic.
- The Corruptor: It is suggested that Alvarr would have been this for Mordred as he encouraged Mordred’s more ruthless approach and his suggested destiny to kill Arthur, which prompts Bo to suggest separating Alvarr and Mordred so that Mordred can be raised by a more benevolent group of druids.
- Ineffectual Death Threat: When Alvarr is arrested, he threatens to tell Uther that Morgana was visiting his camp, but Morgana shoots that down as her secret has not been exposed yet and so she knows Uther would never believe a criminal over her.
- Manipulative Bastard: He attempted to be this to encourage Morgana to help their agenda against Uther, but Bo's influence stopped his words having the intended effect.
- Never My Fault: When Arthur confronts Alvarr's forces, Alvarr protests that Arthur is attacking people whose only "crime" is wanting to live free of Uther, ignoring how Arthur sought to make peace first and Alvarr was the one who attacked Arthur's men, at which point they have a right to respond in self-defence.
Allies
The Great Dragon
Kilgharrah, AKA the Great Dragon
The last known dragon alive, he has been trapped under Camelot for the last two decades as a symbol of Uther’s victory over magic. His fate is revealed to have been the result of a curse written by the Blood King for his role in an attempted underfae rebellion. He attempts to advise Merlin on his destiny to assist in the return of magic to Camelot, but the arrival of Bo and Kenzi gives him new opportunities to pursue another agenda. He is ultimately able to regain his freedom in exchange for taking the triad to the fae kingdom to seek a cure for a dangerous curse.
- Commonality Connection: Kilgharrah explains at one point that the bond between dragons and trolls is because the dragons once joined a group of the more intelligent underfae in demanding better treatment from the rest of their kind, as dragons are another example of a species that cannot pass undetected among humans.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: While Kilgharrah may not be outright evil, he still spent his time in Camelot defining Bo and Morgana according to his own perceptions rather than acknowledging them as good people who might make mistakes. A particular example of this was when he concluded that Morgana telling the Witchfinder about Gaius was an act of deliberate malice, when Morgana only brought up Gaius out of desperate fear which she regretted as soon as she had spoken.
- Last of His Kind: The last living dragon, as a result of the Blood King cursing him to witness the end of his race as punishment for his role in an attempted under-fae rebellion.
- Mr. Exposition: Explains to Bo and Kenzi how they were sent back in time in the first place, including the revelation that Bo was actually born in this era.
- No Name Given: Subverted for the Great Dragon as Bo explicitly asks him his name upon being introduced to him.
- Not So Omniscient After All: Fearing the consequences of Bo’s closer relationship with Merlin, Kilgharrah attempts to break them up by indirectly encouraging Merlin and Morgana to keep their closer associations with Morgana and Bo secret from Bo and Merlin respectively. However, this is ultimately ended by the unexpected twist of Kenzi suggesting that Bo, Merlin and Morgana all share a romantic relationship, rather than Bo "choosing" one or the other or leaving Camelot herself.
- Picky People Eater: Hinted at; at one point Kilgharrah only rejects the idea of eating Kenzi for being annoying because she is so thin he’d be picking bits of her out of his teeth for ages.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Basically invokes this to convince Morgana to trust him to take them to the Blood King to cure Bo. Even if Kilgharrah escaped his prison, he would still be hunted by the King's curse, so his best chance to live a normal life is to perform some great service to the Fae monarch, such as returning the king's lost granddaughter to her family.
- Shipper with an Agenda: When the Dyson of the current era arrives in Camelot, Kilgharrah attempts to subtly compel Bo to remember her relationship with Dyson's future self to lure her away from Merlin and Morgana, but ultimately she chooses to stay loyal to her current lovers rather than focus on a "past" (from her perspective) relationship.
- Treacherous Advisor: Kilgharrah spends some time acting as this, trying to manipulate Bo, Merlin and Morgana to drive the women away from Merlin so that he can resume his role as Merlin’s only true magical ally.
- What You Are in the Dark: Merlin ultimately concludes that Kilgharrah has shown his true colours during a confrontation with Morgana in his cave, as despite Kilgharrah's claim that Morgana is evil Merlin points out that the dragon is clearly enjoying the chance to point out Morgana's shortcomings whereas Morgana has never taken pleasure in the suffering of others.
- You Didn't Ask: When Bo first asks the Great Dragon for his name, Kilgharrah notes with amusement that Merlin and Gaius just never asked that question before.
Gwaine
Gwaine
The son of a disgraced noblewoman, Gwaine came to Camelot after saving Lancelot and Kenzi’s lives during a bar brawl.
- Adaptational Sexuality: Kenzi guesses from some of Gwaine’s reactions to Uther’s prejudices that he’s bisexual.
- Badass Normal: Shows his worth as a fighter when he saves Lancelot and Kenzi in a bar brawl.
- Big Damn Heroes: Despite having been officially exiled from Camelot, he came back to the kingdom in time to help Lancelot save Kenzi’s life.
- The Drifter: Is content to wander the country, fighting when required.
Adversaries
Catrina
Catrina
A troll impersonating the deceased Lady Catrina to infiltrate Camelot and become its queen.
- Elephant in the Living Room: Once she reverts back into her true form, and everyone but Uther can clearly see it.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: On marrying Uther she becomes Queen of Camelot and immediately starts to raise taxes to a level beyond what the people can afford to pay.
- Hypno Trinket: She initially controls Uther with an amulet, but by the time Gwen, Morgana and Kenzi steal the amulet her spell is too ingrained to be broken that easily.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: In the final confrontation, Bo stabs the troll in the chest with a sword.
- Impostor Forgot One Detail: Gaius suspects her to be a fake because the real Catrina had a rare and incurable bone condition where this Catrina has no need of her medication.
- Love Potion: She uses one on Uther to make him fall in love with her and compel him to banish Bo from Camelot.
- Not Big Enough for the Two of Us: Literally applies to her dynamic with Bo; fae culture states that the first fae to take up residence in an area is the one in charge, so the troll had to drive Bo out of Camelot to establish her own authority in the kingdom. Bo directly quotes this trope in their final clash.
- Off With Her Head: Bo kills the troll for good by chopping off her head.
Aredian
Aredian
An infamous witch-finder who was called to Camelot after a display of magic by Merlin.
- Con Man: When the "Witch Hunter" shows up, Kenzi, a veteran con artist, is instantly able to tell he's a fraud. She also warns Bo how the guy will likely accuse an innocent person to push his act, and uses her own experience to help Bo and Merlin prove it.
- Framing the Guilty Party: Tentatively identified Merlin and Morgana as potential magic users and made plans to do this when he couldn’t find explicit evidence for real.
- The Witch Hunter: An infamous example of this.
Morgause
Morgause
A mysterious sorceress and warrior, she attempts to turn Arthur against his father. She later tries to win Morgana's aid in her campaign by revealing their true relationship as sisters, but ultimately Morgana rejects her sister in favour of her lovers and friends.
- Ambiguously Bi: Morgause notes that she took female lovers when she was younger as she grew up with only women for company among other priestesses, and still takes the occasional female lover even if she also enjoys the pleasures of men. However, at the same time Morgause has never shown any real interest in other people on an emotional level; the closest she has come to caring about another person was her attempt to win Morgana's allegiance as she wanted her sister's assistance.
- Dark Action Girl: Able to best Arthur in a duel even without the use of magic.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Even when Morgause is trying to be friendly to Morgana, she judges Morgana's relationship with Merlin based solely on what she can see of his physical presence, rather than consider how Morgana might be drawn to Merlin on a personal level.
- Evil Chancellor: Morgause's plan in revealing the truth of Ygraine's death was to ultimately set herself up as this to Arthur; with Uther dead, she guessed that Arthur would have to face attacks from other rulers or even his own nobles who objected to his actions, and she would be able to win a place in Camelot by offering an alliance with Cenred to give Arthur a new wave of allies, all while intending to eventually stage a coup of Camelot for herself.
- Kick the Dog: Using Morgana as the vessel for the sleeping curse backfired on her in several ways, as it ultimately ruined her chance to make her sister a willing ally when Morgana rejected her after Morgause's actions endangered Bo in particular.
- Long-Lost Relative: Only reveals that she is Morgana’s long-unknown older sister in their second true meeting.
- Never My Fault: During Morgause's assault on Camelot, she basically acts as though Arthur is at fault for not killing Uther and Bo is dying because of her own mistakes in trying to break the curse, but Arthur and Morgana make it clear that Morgause is the one to blame, as Arthur would have been a pariah if he killed his father in those circumstances and Morgana would have never agreed to being used to attack her friends and lovers in this manner.
- Surprise Incest: Invoked; Bo initially mistakes Morgause giving Morgana a bracelet as a token of romantic intent, and Morgause is put out that anyone could have assumed that she was romantically interested in her own sister even if she accepts how the mistake could have come about.
