Fanfic / Lost in Camelot

Morgana, Bo and Merlin; artwork created by Marcus S Lazarus

Lost in Camelot by RLD Flame-point Callie-co is a crossover between Lost Girl and Merlin (starting mid-season Two for Lost Girl and early season Two for Merlin). Starting as Bo finds herself drunk and depressed over Dyson and Lauren having moved on to other partners, she is confronted by a mysterious old man while staggering home, the man sobering her up and teleporting her away saying that he is sending her ‘home’, just as Kenzi follows Bo and gets caught up in the spell. The two find themselves in a forest, and are eventually ‘rescued’ by Arthur and Merlin, forcing the two women to present themselves as displaced noblewomen who were abducted by a sorcerer. As they adjust to life in Camelot, Bo forms a particularly close friendship with Morgana, while Merlin learns of her true nature and makes arrangements to help her cope with her need to feed on chi. As time goes on, these relationships develop into a complex romantic attraction between all three, while secrets of Bo’s past lead her and Kenzi to make a new life in Camelot.

The author has confirmed that this will be a three-part series (Although only the first part has been written so far); Lost in Camelot, The Lost Kingdom, and Fae New World.

---

Lost in Camelot contains examples of:

• Abusive Parents: Uther is a clear example of this, but Bo references her own grim history with her mother, as well as her adoptive parents’ harsh reactions after she unintentionally killed her first boyfriend
• Action Fashionista: Morgana, as in canon, but Kenzi swiftly adopts this once she confirms that she and Bo will have to stay in Camelot, and Bo is comfortable showing off her assets as well.
• Action Girl: Bo, but Morgana has shown some skill in this area in her original show, and does her best in Merlin's absence during the troll takeover.
• 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 her as Camelot's fae ruler but has no romantic interest in her.
• Aesop Collateral Damage: Kilgharrah eventually reveals that the death of the other dragons and his own imprisonment were basically this, as part of a curse performed by the Blood King to punish Kilgharrah for attempting to assist the underfae in a past rebellion.
• Agony of the Feet: When Gwen tells Arthur that she walked in on Bo and Morgana in bed together, he drops a mace on his foot in shock.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Inverted; despite Bo and Morgana’s canon attraction to dangerous men, they both develop feelings for Merlin due to his genuinely good nature
• All Women Are Prudes: Played with; Bo and Kenzi are fairly casual about their sex appeal, but standards of the time prompt Morgana in particular to be more reticent. Over the course of the story, Morgana and Gwen are shocked to see Bo wearing her 'underwear' (which from Bo's perspective covers more than her usual clothes), Freya is highly uncomfortable at the idea of wearing some of Kenzi’s clothing, and Morgana is slightly awkward when she goes along with Bo's plan to dress seductively for Merlin's birthday.
• Ambiguously Bi:
  • Morgana; she acknowledges that she would have gone after Bo from the beginning if her friend had been a man, was physically affectionate with Bo to such a degree that Kenzi found it noteworthy, and is willing to consider making their relationship romantic once Bo gives her a day to consider that possibility. That said, Morgana has only ever been attracted to men before Bo suggests that she has romantic feelings for Morgana, is reluctant to take things to a physical level too soon even after Bo kisses her for the first time- a fact that Bo understands and accepts- and was explicitly attracted to Merlin first, to the point that she nearly breaks off their relationship as she has trouble being physically affectionate with Bo.
  • Morgause notes that she took female lovers when she was younger as she grew up with only women for company, and still takes the occasional female lover even if she also enjoys the pleasures of men.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: Despite living in a kingdom that has dealt with magic for decades, Morgana initially doesn't believe Bo when Bo reveals that she's a succubus simply because they are described as having blue eyes while Bo's eyes are brown, until Bo shows Morgana her Occult Blue Eyes.
• Armor-Piercing Question:
  • After Morgana learns about Merlin's magic and the reason he didn't tell her the truth earlier, he is unable to answer when she asks what he'd do if he was put in a position where he believed she would be a danger to his "destiny" with Arthur again.
  • When Morgause meets with Morgana again, she asks what Morgana would do to protect Bo from Uther's plans, prompting Morgana to affirm that she'd do "anything" without thinking about what that might be.
• 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.
• Authority in Name Only: From different perspectives, this applies to Bo and Uther. From a fae perspective, Bo has claimed Camelot as her territory and is now its ruler, but since Bo has no interest in actually ruling Camelot, she claims that she 'lets' Uther think he's still in charge so that he can deal with the administrative side of things while retaining her own title.
• Bad Powers, Good People: Bo’s succubus abilities
• Badass Normal:
  • Kenzi, as always, to the point where she once visited Kilgharrah on her own to ask him about a way to resolve the troll problem
  • Technically Arthur; the original show makes this clear, but he privately resents how Bo has been 'taking' his opportunities to prove himself, considering that she was the one to deal with the troll and the witch-hunter.
  • When in Hengist's fortress, Bo finds Dyson and Lancelot working together as gladiators, with Lancelot a trusted ally to Dyson despite just being human.
• Because Destiny Says So: The Great Dragon's argument about Merlin's destiny is the main reason for tension between Bo, Merlin and Morgana, as Bo encourages the others to Screw Destiny and feel free to do what they want but Merlin cannot shake the idea that he is destined to fight Morgana to protect Arthur even after they become lovers.
• Big Damn Heroes: In Chapter 35, Arthur is put out to have his potential moment subverted when he discovers that Bo has already escaped Hengist (with the apparent aid of Dyson and Lancelot).
• The Big Damn Kiss: Chapter 35 concludes with Morgana affirming that she loves Bo just as she loves Merlin, the three sharing a kiss in the moonlight away from their rescue party.
• Birds of a Feather:
  • Bo, Merlin and Morgana are three magical beings in a kingdom that officially hates magic.
  • When Lancelot arrives, Kenzi expresses gratitude to have another human aware of her fae associates, as she never really 'clicked' with Lauren as they had nothing in common beyond being human.
• 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, with Bo having to explicitly remind Dyson to go easier on the knights as they're only human and hence would lack the enhanced healing of his former fae associates.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality:
  • 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'.
  • 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.
  • 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.
• Bonding over Missing Parents: As in canon, Arthur and Merlin have a bonding moment when they talk about how Arthur never knew his mother or Merlin his father, Merlin having shared a similar moment with Bo where the two acknowledge that neither of them know their fathers (although in Bo's case she's glad of that ignorance given that her father was almost certainly her mother's rapist). When Gwen learns more about the circumstances of Arthur's encounter with Morgause and how it involved the death of his mother, she reflects that another thing they've always shared is the gaping hole left in their lives by the absence of their own mothers.
• Broken Masquerade: Bo exposes her true nature to Arthur when she has to temporarily enthrall him to stop him attacking Uther.
• Bureaucratically Arranged Marriage: In his role as the ruler of Camelot, Uther informs Morgana that he intends to have Bo marry Sir Leon, on the grounds that he can no longer tolerate Bo's relationship with Morgana and this marriage is the best way to guarantee that Bo lives a good life in Camelot since he cannot send her home.
• Canon Welding: In so many ways, including Kilgharrah being aware of the Fae and the troll that impersonated Lady Katrina being an Under-Fae (prompting her to focus on getting Bo out of the kingdom as Fae rules mean that Bo's claim to Camelot would take precedent over the troll's).
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Bo and Merlin, obviously; even when given a chance to run away to Merlin’s village, they return to face the threat of the troll and the challenges of life in Camelot in general. Morgana later reflects that this is such a part of them that they would both attempt to save Uther from the threat of the Knights of Medhir even when letting him die would solve their problems and it would just be a case of not saving him rather than killing him.
• Collateral Damage: It appears that Morgana turning to villainy would basically have been this from Kilgharrah's perspective, as he just wanted to reduce Uther to the catatonic state he was in at the start of Season Four in canon and the devastation of Morgana's betrayal was the only way to achieve that.
• Commonality Connection:
  • When Kenzi discusses her past with Lancelot, she is ashamed to admit to some of her past acts, such as theft, but Lancelot assures her that he understands that committing such acts to survive doesn't mean she's not a good person given what he has done to survive himself.
  • 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.
• 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 he's a fraud.
• Conflicting Loyalty: Kilgharrah worries that Bo’s relationship with Merlin will cause a conflict between Merlin's destined duty to Camelot and his feelings for the succubus. In the end, the actual "conflict" is between Merlin's loyalty to Kilgharrah and his relationships with Bo and Morgana, Merlin ultimately choosing the women after realising how much the dragon has lied to him.
• Cooldown Hug: Bo essentially uses this when she temporarily 'whammies' Arthur to lure him away from his initial plan to confront Uther about the truth of Ygraine's death, taking him to a private room so that she and Merlin can talk with Arthur about his revelations before he does something he'll regret.
• Costume Porn: A variety of these, with the author taking inspiration from sources such as Oz the Great and Powerful in designing dresses for Kenzi and others.
• Cruel to Be Kind: After Lancelot returns to Camelot, Arthur deliberately acts as though he was leading Gwen on to encourage her to pursue a relationship with Lancelot as he believes she'd be happier with someone who can actually have a proper relationship with her, regardless of Arthur's own feelings for her.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Kenzi might wear black, but she remains one of the most light-hearted characters.
• Deadpan Snarker: Bo, Kenzi and Morgana (although downplayed in Morgana's case compared to the other two).
• Deal with the Devil: Ultimately after Bo is set to die after taking the sleeping curse into herself, Morgana is forced to agree to release Kilgharrah in return for his help getting Bo to the Blood King as the only person with the power to cure her.
• Defends Against Their Own Kind: Loosely applies when Dyson (in his wolf-shape) has to defend Mordred against a group of knights, since at this point Dyson is a knight himself.
• Deliberately Distressed Damsel: Just as Gwen did in canon, Bo lets herself be captured to save Morgana.
• Demoted to Extra:
  • Played with for Arthur; he's still involved in the major plots against Camelot, but due to Bo's presence, he doesn't get the chance to deal with the troll-Katrina, Aredian or Hengist himself as Bo defeats them first (although she lets Dyson and Lancelot take the credit for Hengist).
  • Arguably also the case for Freya; she's still the focus of an attempted rescue, but 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).
• Dirty Old Man:
  • Referenced when Uther is briefly brought under Bo's influence while she tries to persuade him to be lenient towards Freya, but generally subverted as Uther is a gentleman towards Bo when in control of himself.
  • Comes up when Bo tries to deflect Aredian's suspicions and question a local shop-owner for information about recent events, as she uses her powers to convince them to go along with her appeals, but this only occurs either when she is alone with Aredian or when in the presence of Merlin, who knows about her succubus nature.
• Disproportionate Retribution: The deaths of the dragons apparently amounts to this; the Blood King cursed Kilgharrah for his role in a failed underfae uprising by decreeing that he would see the rest of his kind die and be imprisoned by their murderer.
• 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, and so claims that she rules Camelot discreetly while leaving Uther to deal with the administrative details in case Dyson attempts a coup of his own. 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 the younger Dyson assures Bo that he respects her relationship with Merlin and Morgana and has never allowed himself to think of her romantically.
• Double Knockout: While they don't directly knock each other out, Arthur and Dyson's public duel ends with both of them having inflicted a slight wound on each other; as the duel was intended to be until first blood and neither party can be sure who wounded the other first, Uther declares the duel a draw.
• Drunk with Power: Notably when Bo and Merlin have actual sex for the first time, as Bo’s ‘dark side’ takes over; also happens when she drains all of Hengist's forces to escape, requiring Dyson and Lancelot to knock her out.
• Dwindling Party: After investigating the castle at Idirsholas with several knights, many of the expeditionary force are killed and Lancelot has to take an injured Leon to a village for medical treatment, leaving only Merlin, Arthur, Bo, Dyson and a magic-less Morgana to defend the sleeping Camelot from the Knights' imminent invasion.
• Eating the Eye Candy: Kenzi immediately refers to Lancelot as "tall, dark and handsome" when he appears in Camelot.
• Entertainingly Wrong:
  • Morgana can barely hold in her laughter when she realizes that Uther honestly believes that Arthur and Merlin are sleeping together.
  Uther: You've seen the way they banter, tease and flirt all over the castle. They hardly make any effort to hide their affection at all!
  • While it's less amusing and more of a tragic misunderstanding, it's still funny to see Arthur and Gwen assume that Bo's manipulating Merlin and Morgana into separate arrangements rather than the three sharing one relationship.
  • When told there's another Fae around, Arthur naturally assumes it's Kenzi, mostly for how she dresses.
  • When Morgana gets a message from Morgause, she, Gwen and Kenzi assume from the context that Morgause intends to proposition her, the three Camelot natives all unaware of Morgause's real connection to Morgana.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Played with;
  • 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 (Bo also reflects that even the jerk Ash could have had loved ones before her mother's attack left him on life support).
  • Morgause assures Morgana that she will not kill Arthur in acknowledgement of Morgana revealing that Arthur is important to her, although only Morgause knows why she would make such a promise to Morgana.
• Even the Girls Want Her: Only demonstrated with Morgana so far, with Morgana coming to the tentative realisation that she is interested in Bo as a possible romantic partner once the possibility is presented to her, having previously mused that Bo would have made the perfect suitor if she had been born a man.
• 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.
  • On the other hand, Merlin is privately concerned that Lancelot may not be as understanding about Merlin having a relationship with two women at once as he is about Merlin's magic. However, when Dyson reveals their relationship, Lancelot assures Merlin that nothing will change their friendship.
  • Even Morgause has her limits; while she is open enough about sexual matters that she has had relations with other women as well as men, she avoids watching through her crystal when she realises that her sister is likely about to have sex.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
  • While Kilgharrah may not be outright evil, he still defines Bo and Morgana according to his own perceptions rather than acknowledging them as good people who might make mistakes, such as regarding Morgana telling the Witchfinder about Gaius as an act of deliberate malice rather than desperate fear.
  • Likewise, 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, all while intending to eventually stage a coup of Camelot for herself.
• Evil Matriarch: Discussed when Bo learns that Uther is contemplating making plans to have Bo married to Sir Leon, as this would leave Bo forced to live at Leon's family estate with his elderly aunt, Lady Ermengard, who has been in charge of the estate ever since the death of her husband. Lady Ermengard is described by Morgana as being so overbearing that she likely drove her husband to an early grave simply by being so frustrating and controlling, and she would therefore be unlikely to cede her authority as lady of the castle to Bo.
• Exact Eavesdropping: Morgana decides to confess her feelings to Merlin and arrives at his room just in time to witness a romantic moment between him and Bo where he explicitly refers to Bo as the only person he'll ever love, leaving Morgana devastated (before Bo reveals that she saw Morgana and suggests an alternative...)
  • Later on, Morgana finds Bo and Merlin in a corridor just as the two are talking about how Arthur reacted to the news that Merlin has magic when even Morgana didn't know that yet.
• Exact Words: Bo starts using this to avoid explicitly lying to anyone she wants to consider a friend in Camelot regarding her past, such as telling Gaius that Lauren was the equivalent of a court physician in her homeland or telling Morgana that her homeland had so many different customs that it's like a completely different world (planning to gradually drop hints about her true history as their relationship develops).
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Basically applies when Dyson explains his past history to Uther; Uther has heard of the Faelad Laigach, but assumes that the title and the stories that they fight like a pack of wolves are just names rather than an accurate description.
• Fake Relationship: After Lancelot feels guilty over his role in making things awkward between Arthur and Gwen, Kenzi suggests that he encourage them to get back together by pretending that he's in a relationship with her so that Arthur and Gwen don't feel guilty about being happy while Lancelot is miserable.
• 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.
• Fantastic Racism: Uther's attitude towards magic, as always.
• Faux Death: Taken even further when dealing with the troll, as Merlin just drugs Arthur so that Bo can drain him; Gaius notes that it would be just as dangerous for Bo to drain Arthur as it would be if they were using any potion capable of creating the illusion of death, and Merlin has faith that Bo will be able to bring Arthur back now that she's well-fed.
• Fish out of Water: More for Kenzi than Bo at first, as Bo finds herself surprisingly fond of Camelot despite the displacement; later explained with the revelation that Bo is actually from Camelot, as she was sent into the future when her mother sent her to safety.
• Fix Fic: Not explicitly identified as such, but Kilgharrah mentions that sending a being of Bo's power into the future created a rift in the world- Word of God confirming that this rift is the reason for such later developments as Morgana's Face–Heel Turn- while her return to this time will allow that rift to heal, creating hope for a new history.
• 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.
• Flat Character: Kenzi describes Leon as having "the personality of wet cardboard" even if she doesn't actually dislike him.
• Friends with Benefits: Things between Bo and Merlin initially started this way, but develop into a genuinely emotional relationship.
• 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.
• Get Out!: After Bo takes the sleeping curse into herself and Morgause confirms she can't remove the spell, Morgana informs Morgause that she should leave Camelot for good, affirming that she will choose her friends in Camelot over the sister who only showed up to use her as a pawn.
• Godwin's Law of Time Travel: Invoked after Dyson's past self arrives in Camelot, as Kenzi expresses concern that tampering with known history too much could result in a future where "your parents never met and your best friend is now Fae Hitler".
• Gone Horribly Right: Ultimately Bo is able to stop the sleeping curse that was using Morgana as its source... but only by drawing that curse into herself, which will almost certainly kill Bo.
• Good Angel, Bad Angel: Invoked when Morgana and Kilgharrah come face-to-face and Merlin realises they've each been essentially "competing" for his loyalty, although Merlin ultimately chooses Morgana when he realises that Kilgharrah is taking far too much pleasure in bringing up Morgana's shortcomings for him to be the "good" party in this situation.
• 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.
• Good Is Not Soft: From Kenzi's perspective, Morgana demonstrates this when she reveals Uther's theory that Arthur and Merlin have a sexual relationship, and explains that she's not brought it up yet because she wants to wait for the most dramatic moment to do so.
• Groin Attack: Contemplated by Kenzi when she learns that the only way to break the spell the troll cast on Uther is to make him cry tears of true remorse.
• Have We Met Yet?: Chapter 33 ends with Bo witnessing Dyson in Hengist's fortress, although she needs a moment to confirm that she's looking at the Dyson of this era rather than the time-displaced Dyson of her time.
• Healing Factor: As well as Bo's obvious ability to heal when feeding, Dyson has a degree of enhanced healing himself; after being stabbed in the throat, he is able to hold the wound closed until it heals on its own a few minutes later, although he admits that he could have bled out if the wound had been left open.
• Heel Realization: Invoked when Morgana learns that Merlin was aware of her attempt to help Tauren assassinate Uther even knowing that it would hurt Arthur, and acknowledges that his knowledge of such an act justifies his subsequent suspicions of her.
• Hermaphrodite: Played with when Kenzi wonders if the troll that married Uther in the guise of Lady Catrina is actually female itself (although it was referred to as 'Mistress' by Jonas even in private).
• Heroic Sacrifice:
  • While visiting the grave of Morgana's father, Bo deliberately stays behind to give Morgana a chance to escape from the forces of a warlord.
  • When the Knights of Medhir attack Camelot, once Morgana realises that she is the vessel for the current sleeping curse, she explicitly asks Bo and Merlin to kill her to stop it.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Bo and Kenzi for the girls and Arthur and Merlin for the guys; Morgana thought that she was forming such a relationship with Bo before Bo introduced the idea of a romantic element to their relationship. When Bo is in Hengist's fortress posing as Morgana, it appears that Lancelot has formed a similar dynamic with the Dyson of this time, to the extent that Lancelot is aware that Dyson is fae.
• 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, making it clear that as far as Morgana's concerned she has no sister since Morgause left her alone for years and only came to use her as a pawn in a larger scheme.
• I Have This Friend: Merlin attempts this when asking Arthur for advice about how he has feelings for Morgana while involved with Bo, but Arthur is naturally unable to give him much useful insight, simply suggesting (when Merlin claims that his 'friend' is just someone he met in a tavern) that Merlin stay out of the tavern in future.
• 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 are in love.
  • 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 for Lancelot. Their 'reunion' only lasts a few weeks before Lancelot realises Gwen's new feelings for Arthur and ends his own relationship with her as he recognises the depth of Gwen's affection for the prince.
• If It's You, It's Okay: While Bo is an established bisexual and Merlin is simply straight, Morgana has to spend a day analysing her feelings after Bo proposes that she join Bo and Merlin's pre-existing relationship. However, Morgana had previously mused that Bo would be the perfect suitor if she had been born a man, and after their 'relationship' begins, while Morgana makes it clear she is uncomfortable taking things with Bo too far, the fact that she is willing to kiss Bo and share moments of closeness with her says a lot about Morgana's feelings considering the standards of the time. Although Morgana briefly contemplates breaking it off as she has trouble being physically affectionate with Bo, she overcomes this issue after Bo is briefly captured by Hengist, and by the time Morgause comes to Camelot Morgana is willing to assure Bo that the succubus is the only woman she will ever love.
• If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: A minor example; Kenzi ensures that Arthur will bring Merlin back from a hunting trip in time for Merlin's birthday (which Bo has plans for) by making threats that include itching powder in his trousers.
• Ignorant of Their Own Ignorance: Even when Morgause learns that Bo is a succubus and Morgana has taken her and Merlin as lovers, Morgause never looks closely enough to realise that Merlin has magic himself, simply questioning what about the skinny servant won over the other two women.
• The Immune: When Morgause inflicts the sleeping curse on Camelot, Dyson and Bo in particular appear to be relatively immune to it, showing no signs of fatigue even after Arthur and Merlin are obviously affected by it; Dyson explicitly speculates that the curse only targets humans, although he also observes that it may simply take longer to affect fae rather than them being immune completely.
• 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.
• In Spite of a Nail:
  • Although Kilgharrah states that Bo being sent back to Camelot will heal the rift in the world that would have been created otherwise and thus change what would have happened, so far most of the major threats from the series have happened as they did originally, save for them not occurring in the same order as in the original show (Aredian comes to Camelot after Freya's death rather than before, as an example).
  • Invoked when Merlin notes that he would have had feelings for Morgana whether or not Bo was present in Camelot; the only difference her presence made was that she gave her partners the courage to act on their feelings, Merlin openly confessing that he doubts he would have had the nerve to actually tell Morgana how he felt on his own given her social status.
  • Ultimately Morgause still uses Morgana as the host for the sleeping spell as the Knights of Medhir attack; the only difference is that Morgana realises what has happened in time to ask Merlin and Bo to kill her to break the curse.
• 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.
• Insane Troll Logic: Kenzi is so determined to convince herself that she isn't falling for Lancelot that her counter-argument includes the idea that she's just doing this so she doesn't tear her hair out in frustration.
• Internal Reveal: After Bo and Kenzi told Gaius and Merlin about their status as time-travellers in Chapter 11, Bo finally tells Morgana the truth about her origin in Chapter 38, having waited for the right moment to bring it up.
  • On another note, Arthur learns the truth about Bo's nature and Merlin's magic in Chapter 42, closely followed by Morgana overhearing Merlin and Bo talking about Merlin's magic. As of Chapter 46, Arthur and Gwen are now aware of Bo, Merlin and Morgana's relationship and Morgana's magic, as well as Dyson's status as fae (although Arthur is told to allow Dyson to share what species he is on his own terms).
• Interrupted Intimacy: Gwen walks in on Bo and Morgana after their first sexual encounter.
• 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.
• 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.
• Jerkass Realization:
  • Invoked when Arthur learns about how a friend of Dyson's was betrayed by his previous king when he was criticising Dyson's lack of honor in training, Arthur recognising that trying to go after Dyson and apologize wouldn't work as he can't offer anything more than platitudes.
  • More explicitly occurs when Morgana is contemplating letting Uther die during the invasion of the Knights of Medhir, until 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.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Morgana basically insists on playing this role when she arranges to join the rescue party being sent to Hengist's fortress, and Lancelot is determined to act as one even if he isn't an official knight.
• The Lady's Favor: Morgause almost does this basically by accident when she gives Morgana her bracelet, as Bo points out that such an act could be interpreted as Morgause expressing interest in Morgana and quickly acts to take it off.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
  • When Bo first hears about Morgana's attempt to assassinate Uther, she compares it to the idea that she's hearing about a TV show that she missed the first season of.
  • On a more mythological note, Uther declares his intention to arrange a marriage between Morgana and Prince Urien of Mercia, who was Morgan le Fay's husband in various translations of the original Arthurian myths.
• Loophole Abuse:
  • Bo utilizes a version of this to encourage Dyson to stay in Camelot; while he isn't comfortable swearing allegiance to Uther directly, Dyson agrees to swear allegiance to Bo as Camelot's fae ruler, and then 'pretend' to swear allegiance to Uther on Bo's request.
  • Later Morgause uses this to get Morgana's consent to be the vessel for the sleeping curse; Morgana said that she would do "anything" to help Bo and Merlin without defining what that would be, which is enough for Morgause's current purpose.
• 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 even tries to make it more before Freya is killed.
• Love Triangle:
  • As in her own time, Bo unwittingly finds herself in one with Merlin and Morgana, having initially started a sexual relationship with Merlin to feed her need for chi and an emotional bond with Morgana to help her cope with her nightmares. However, even before Morgana was introduced to the idea that two women can be interested in each other in a romanic sense, she displayed a subtle awareness of her own more-than-friendly feelings for Bo, such as considering that she would have immediately attempted to court Bo if her friend had been a man. While Morgana takes time to fully accept the idea that she can have romantic feelings for another woman, after Bo was abducted saving Morgana from kidnappers, by the time they reunite Morgana has accepted her romantic and sexual desire for Bo as well as Merlin. Kenzi in particular helps them deal with their complex feelings by encouraging Bo to pursue a relationship with both parties, observing that she was only pressuring Bo to "pick a team" in the future because Dyson and Lauren would never have been able to "share" Bo as they weren't interested in each other in that sense.
  • When Lancelot returns to Camelot, although Gwen did have feelings for him when he first visited, she put them aside after he left as she thought she would never see him again and has developed deeper feelings for Arthur by this point, even if she doesn't want to hurt Lancelot.
• Love Revelation Epiphany: Occurs for Bo and Morgana in particular;
  • 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 her about her physically affectionate relationship with the other woman.
  • Technically Morgana has a similar epiphany after Bo kisses her for the first time, but she takes a day or so to process the idea of two women loving each other in that sense, and even after that, standards of the time prompt her to be reticent about expressing her feelings at first until Hengist's attempt to capture her and Bo's subsequent Heroic Sacrifice help Morgana make up her mind.
• Meaningful Echo: Bo's first sexual encounters with Merlin and Morgana take place after Bo has been injured (shot with an arrow while fighting alongside Merlin and struck by broken glass while Morgana has an emotional breakdown). Once she explains that she needs to feed to heal, her partners each tell Bo that she's free to "Take whatever you need" to heal.
• 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); Kenzi recognises the attraction but leaves it alone at first as she knows that Merlin wouldn’t actively cheat on Bo.
• 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 of guilt and grief.
• Mistaken for Cheating: When Arthur and Gwen first learn about Bo and Morgana’s relationship, they assume that Bo is cheating on Merlin with Morgana as they’re unaware of the triad dynamics.
• Mistaken for Romance: 'Romance' might be extreme, but Uther reveals in Chapter 33 that he believes Arthur and Merlin have a sexual relationship.
• The Mistress: As the triad's relationship grows closer, Morgana notes that their current best chance of being publicly accepted in future is if Arthur promotes Merlin to a position as advisor after he becomes king, allowing Merlin the status to marry Bo or Morgana while the other becomes his mistress.
• 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:
  • On a personal level, Morgana observes at one point that her relationships with Bo and Merlin will probably never be publicly accepted as things stand in Camelot. 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 she regrets how that option still wouldn't properly acknowledge Bo and Morgana's relationship with each other.
  • Basically Dyson's thoughts on his decision to remain in Camelot; he isn't entirely comfortable swearing his allegiance to a new king after what happened last time, but he doesn't have any obvious alternatives. A talk with Bo also 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.
• Motor Mouth: Particularly in Kenzi’s case, to more humourous extent than even in her original show, as most of her references are dated for the future so most of Camelot has no idea what she’s talking about (Happy Meals, Barbies, etc.)
• Muggle Best Friend: Gwen and Kenzi to Morgana and Bo in particular, even if Gwen doesn't know about Morgana's powers until Chapter 46; Arthur maintains at least the appearance of acknowledging the social gap between him and Merlin, although Lancelot may fill this role for Merlin and Dyson.
• Murder Is the Best Solution: Explicitly rejected by Bo and Merlin as a method of dealing with Uther, no matter how much they dislike him.
• 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.
  • On a more minor note, Morgana blames herself when she learns that encouraging Gwen to get together with Lancelot ended Gwen's secret relationship with Arthur despite the two having genuine feelings for each other.
  • As a flip side to the above, 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.
  • 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; Alvarr rejects the apology, but Mordred accepts that Arthur's intentions were good and assures him that he will be glad to see Camelot when Arthur is king.
• Mythology Gag: When Morgana learns that Bo first learnt Merlin’s secret after he tried to kill her, Morgana muses that she’s not sure she could have forgiven Merlin after such an act… and as canon shows, she couldn’t.
• 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 and genuinely didn’t know the consequences of such a deal, but Uther continues to deny that he did anything wrong and just blames magic for Ygraine’s death instead of accepting his own role.
  • 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.
  • 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 Morgana and Arthur 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.
• Nice to the Waiter: During their first dinner in Camelot, Bo realises that Arthur and Morgana are slightly different from the other nobles in their subtly warmer attitudes towards Gwen and Merlin respectively, Bo noting that Arthur and Gwen keep shooting longing glances at each other while Morgana gives Merlin a warm smile whenever she's sure nobody's looking at them while he looks at her with concern.
• No Name Given: Subverted for the Great Dragon as Bo explicitly asks him his name upon being introduced to him, Kilgharrah clarifying that he never told Merlin his name as Merlin just didn’t ask
• No-Sell:
  • Bo can feed on Merlin, but when she tries to influence him on their first meeting he shows no reaction to her seduction.
  • When fighting the Knights of Medhir, Bo is unable to drain them as they have no life-force of their own.
• Noble Demon: Obviously Uther, considering the contrast between his ruthless nature in dealing with magic and his general compassion for his kingdom, but can also be argued that Bo is one, given the superficially demonic nature of her powers.
• Noodle Incident: A couple of years before he met Merlin, Arthur investigated reports of a succubus in a nearby village. While he determined at the time that it was just a husband who had been caught having an affair and blamed a succubus to cover it up, Arthur learnt some details about succubi at the time.
• Not Big Enough for the Two of Us: As the first Fae to take up residence in Camelot, Bo is technically the ruler of the kingdom from a Fae perspective, so the troll had to drive her out to ‘legitimize’ her takeover as far as Fae society is concerned; when Bo delivers the killing blow, she explicitly tells the troll that Camelot isn't big enough for both of them, so the troll should have stayed away.
• "Not So Different" Remark:
  • Discussed when Dyson observes that Camelot is the first purely human town he's ever seen and yet it doesn't strike him as that different from fae settlements, prompting Bo to observe that the two races aren't that different after all.
  • Occurs in a more specific context when Bo tells Arthur about her conflict with her mother after Arthur learns the truth about his birth, followed by Bo and Merlin revealing their relationship to Arthur (without mentioning Morgana's role). Not only can Arthur accept her advice regarding how he would feel after killing Uther thanks to Bo citing her own experience of killing a parent, but he also recognises the similarities between Bo and Merlin's relationship and his own feelings for Gwen, giving him further reasons to trust them both.
• 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, although he could never have anticipated that Kenzi would suggest that all three of them share a romantic relationship.
• The Nudifier: Invoked; during Bo and Morgana’s first sexual encounter, Morgana uses her magic to help deal with the laces and fastenings of their dresses more quickly, even if they still remove their undergarments on their own.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • When Bo and Merlin first have sex after she is struck with an arrow and sustains an almost fatal wound, Bo taps into her darker side, revelling in the feeling of power over Merlin, her subconscious acknowledging him as a ‘worthy’ mate.
  • When Morgana tells Gwen and Kenzi that Morgause is her sister, she swiftly realises they're not themselves as the other women are both too tired to properly respond to that revelation.
• Occult Blue Eyes: Bo, as always; she explicitly demonstrates them to Morgana to convince her potential lover of her nature.
• Occult Detective: Merlin and Gaius at first, and Bo to a lesser extent after she comes to Camelot, but Kenzi, Morgana and Gwen take on this role during Lady Catrina’s takeover of Camelot when Bo and Merlin are absent.
• Older Than They Look: From Bo's perspective, she is briefly shocked to realise that Dyson is old enough for his younger self to be alive in the fifth century and the only difference between them beyond their obviously different clothing is how the Dyson of this time has a longer haircut.
• Outside-Context Problem: An interesting example of this occurs when Bo points out to Morgana that accepting Morgause's bracelet as a gift could be considered accepting a token of romantic intent, as Morgana is still so unused to the idea of women being romantically interested in each other that the implications of the act never occurred to her.
• Picky People Eater: Hinted at with Kilgharrah; he rejects the idea of eating Kenzi for being annoying because she is so thin he’d be picking bits out of his teeth for ages.
• Plucky Girl: Gwen and Kenzi in particular, considering their lack of powers.
• Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: As previously mentioned, Kenzi makes several references that nobody in Camelot apart from Bo can understand, such as bemoaning how Ludacris’s great-great-grandfather hasn’t even been born yet; on another occasion Arthur mistakes her threat to turn him into a meme as a form of magic.
• 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.
• Pragmatic Villainy: From Morgana's perspective, Kilgharrah invoking this is the only reason she trusts him to take her, Bo and Merlin to the Blood King if they free him; the Blood King is too powerful for Kilgharrah to guarantee he could ever escape the curse that destroyed the other dragons, so his only hope of avoiding the King's future wrath is to do him some great service, such as helping to save the life of the King's granddaughter.
• 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, and 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.
• Princess for a Day: As in canon, Hengist is misled to believe that he has captured Morgana, although in this case he has captured Bo rather than Gwen.
• Property of Love: Suggested when Bo is "staking her claim" after becoming jealous of Morgana's apparent 'interest' in Morgause, as Bo affirms that Morgana is hers and Morgana breathlessly agrees.
• Prophecy Twist: Brought up when Merlin confronts Kilgharrah about his claim that Morgana would spill Bo's blood if she learnt the truth about Morgana's magic; all that happened was a minor wound to Bo's neck that Morgana didn't cause on purpose. Kilgharrah "justifies" his deception on the grounds that the wound could have been fatal if it had been just a little higher, but this lie affirms to Merlin that the dragon just cared about ensuring Merlin's loyalty to him rather then showing any concern about Morgana herself.
• Punch a Wall: Gwen finds Arthur doing this shortly before he tells her about his discovery regarding his mother's death, Arthur admitting to himself that his recent hostility towards Bo was just an excuse not to think about his own issues with recent revelations and his anger at Uther.
• Puppet King: When she first meets a 'friendly' fae, Bo claims that she has taken 'official' control of Camelot but allows Uther to remain in charge so that he can deal with the administrative issues of ruling a kingdom.
• Put on a Bus:
  • Obviously Bo and Kenzi’s friends are all separated from them after the two are sent back in time, but Word of God has stated that some of the Knights of the Round Table in the show won’t appear in this version of events, and it has also been confirmed that the Garuda was never awakened in the future/present before Bo and Kenzi were sent into the past.
  • A lesser example occurs when Bo and Merlin briefly leave Camelot during the troll-Catrina's takeover, leaving Kenzi, Morgana and Gwen to take up Merlin and Bo's usual roles of defence of Camelot, but they soon return to the kingdom in time to kill the troll.
  • Another temporary example occurs during the Knights of Medhir's attack; after Leon suffers a leg injury in the first confrontation with the Knights, Lancelot takes him to a nearby village for medical treatment while the rest of the party return to Camelot.
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Bo and Morgana, obviously, while Merlin also serves as a male version of this.
• 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.
• Refuge in Audacity:
  • At one point Bo uses her abilities to 'seduce' Uther in open court just enough to convince him to accept Lancelot's return to Camelot rather than exile him.
  • Later, Morgana observes that she doesn't need to dress down when sneaking around Camelot to respond to Morgause's letter, as her status as Uther's ward would stop anyone from questioning her activities.
• 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.
• Restraining Bolt: When the Knights of Medhir invade Camelot, Morgana realises that they specifically won't harm her, allowing her to protect Bo at a crucial moment.
• Retroactive Preparation: Played with, as Bo and Kenzi are sent back to Camelot by Merlin’s future self, but the author has confirmed that Future Merlin only did this because he realised that Bo wasn’t from that time; Kilgharrah notes that sending a creature of Bo’s power forward in time would have created a rift that damaged the world (implied by the author to be the reason Morgana fell so far in the later seasons), while her return has fixed that rift and created the chance of a new future.
• The Reveal: Kilgharrah’s revelation that Bo is actually native to the time of Camelot, rather than the twenty-first century.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons:
  • When Arthur realises that Bo has been using supernatural methods to protect Camelot, he initially assumes that she is a sorceress, but Bo soon clarifies that she's 'just' a succubus and Merlin is the real magic-user.
  • Later, when Arthur and Gwen learn of Bo's relationships with Merlin and Morgana, Bo initially assumes that their subsequent hostility towards her is because of the lesbian aspect, but the triad later realise that Arthur and Gwen actually assume that Bo's cheating on Merlin with Morgana.
  • After Bo, Merlin and Morgana explain their relationship and powers to Arthur and Gwen, when they explain that there's only one other magical individual in Camelot, Arthur assumes they're referring to Kenzi due to her threat to make him a "meme". Arthur was at least correct that Kenzi isn't normal, but Bo clarifies that the other fae is Dyson.
• 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.
  • Various characters attempt this after Morgause challenges Arthur to a duel, but all are unable to find a way out of the duel if both parties are willing.
• Screw Destiny: Bo suggests that Merlin can abandon his supposed destiny to serve Arthur if he wishes, but she merely suggests the option rather than forcing Merlin into the choice. She, Merlin and Morgana put this into action when they separate Mordred from Alvarr and take him somewhere he can grow up in peace, eliminating the risk of his future destiny to kill Arthur.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Discussed in a loose sense; after Morgause demands a favor from Arthur for sparing him in their duel, Kenzi and Lancelot help Arthur agree that he would still have the right to turn down her favour if it's something even more dishonorable than breaking his word, such as stealing from a starving family.
• Selective Obliviousness: Invoked when Arthur wonders at how he missed the evidence that Merlin had magic, and has to be assured by Gwen that the idea of Morgana being romantically interested in other women was a surprise to her and it wasn't just him who missed such clues.
• Self-Made Man: Could be considered for Bo and Kenzi, as they go from being self-styled detectives squatting in an abandoned house to noblewomen of Camelot, but this is mainly achieved through Uther misinterpreting their origins and the two going along with the idea.
• Secret-Keeper: As of Chapter 47, Arthur, Gwen, Lancelot and Dyson are all aware (along with Gaius and Kenzi) of Bo, Merlin and Morgana's status as beings of magic living in Camelot as a triad relationship.
• Sherlock Scan: Arthur demonstrates his own version of this when he senses that something is following them, which Merlin soon determines is Dyson in wolf form; fortunately Merlin is able to convince Arthur it was nothing significant.
• Ship Tease: When Kenzi explains that she's "faking" a relationship with Lancelot to encourage him to stay in Camelot, Bo observes that this is a great deal of trouble to go to just for a friend.
• Ship Sinking: Lancelot and Gwen's reunion and new relationship only lasts a chapter or two before Lancelot realises the depth of Gwen's feelings for Arthur, and steps back so that they can be happy together.
• 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.
• Shout-Out:
  • Kenzi initially refers to Morgana as ‘Camelot Barbie’
  • After witnessing the troll's true form, Kenzi describes Uther's new marriage as him ‘bumping uglies with the Creature from the Black Lagoon'.
  • When Lancelot arrives in Camelot, Kenzi tells him 'Welcome to Team Muggle'.
  • When Kenzi is discussing finding Lancelot a fake girlfriend, she notes that the girl in question needs to be hot so Arthur and Gwen don't think they hurt Lancelot so badly he's rebounding with 'Ugly Betty'.
  • When Bo first sees Morgana’s magic (as opposed to just knowing about her prophetic dreams) she compares Morgana to Carrie White, and briefly tries to explain the character to Merlin before focusing on the matter at hand.
  • After Morgana explains to Kenzi about Uther's attitude towards women being romantically involved with each other, Kenzi describes it as Uther only being willing to accept such a dynamic "so long as [they] stay so deep in the closet [they're] practically in Narnia"
• Show Some Leg: Explicitly comes up when Bo dresses herself and Morgana in identical outfits for a private celebration of Merlin's birthday, Bo reasoning that this way she and Morgana can talk Merlin into the idea of Morgana joining their relationship by keeping him too distracted to think about countering their proposal.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: While Kilgharrah might be classified as a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist at worst rather than an outright villain, seeing him openly criticizing Morgana's past to her face finally drives Merlin to tell the dragon to shut up about how Morgana is irredeemably evil when Kilgharrah is the one taking pleasure in pointing out another person's shortcomings.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: A hero-on-hero version occurs when Arthur initially orders Merlin to leave when he's angry to learn that Merlin's lied about his magic for years. As Merlin prepares to walk out, Bo instead forces the two to talk it over, pointing out to Arthur that he can't exactly be angry at Merlin for lying to him when he had good reason to believe Arthur would kill him if he knew the truth.
• Spotting the Thread: While investigating rumors of the Knights of Medhir in an abandoned castle, Bo finds a hairbrush with blonde hair in it, allowing them to tentatively confirm that a blonde-haired woman is involved.
• Stable Time Loop: Explicitly ignored; the author has confirmed that Future Merlin did not send Bo back in time to create a past that he himself had already experienced, and Kilgharrah speculates that the unknown sorcerer who sent Bo back in time just knew that she wasn’t where she was supposed to be rather than knowing where she’d end up.
• Stating the Simple Solution: When Arthur first learns about Bo's nature, he assumes that Merlin "feeds" Bo using a spell to take energy from other things rather than Bo feeding through sex. Merlin privately acknowledges that he did consider that initially after learning how Bo fed. However, Gaius confirmed that it wouldn't work as Bo can only feed on living things that also have the emotional capacity to reciprocate her affection, with plants lacking such urges and animals not evolved enough to experience them.
• Sure, Let's Go with That: When Uther assumes that Bo and Kenzi's clothing was forced on them by the sorcerer who sent then to Camelot, the two decide to go with that assumption as what they've seen of Camelot makes it clear that the kingdom's more conservative dress code may not approve of the idea that Kenzi wears such a skimpy 'skirt' and Bo wears trousers by their own choice.
• Surprise Incest: In a loose sense; when Morgause comes to Camelot, Morgana's uncertain feelings about the woman prompt concern from Bo that Morgause is flirting with Morgana.
• 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 and trusting him as a child, Bo is the one to suggest the compromise of getting Mordred away from his current guardian of Alvarr, in the hope that taking him to a more pacifist group of druids will help him avoid his destiny.
• Teacher/Student Romance: Suggested with Merlin and Morgana; they start to acknowledge their romantic feelings for each other after Merlin decides to teach Morgana how to use magic, even if he keeps it secret that he has magic himself.
• Tears of Remorse: Kenzi contemplates various means of making Uther do this to break the troll's spell;

  Kenzi: Great, then I can just introduce my boot to his balls; he'll definitely cry over that.
  Kilgharrah: While that idea is not without merit, I fear it would not work for this purpose; Uther must feel remorse for his own actions, not for yours.
  Kenzi: How about if I explained how stuff he did made me do it?

• Textile Work Is Feminine: Invoked when Morgana muses that she was never very good at sketching or sewing, preferring fencing and horseback riding, while Gwen's skill at embroidery is so good that Morgana felt embarrassed to attempt anything that would be compared to her work.
• That Came Out Wrong: Arthur basically invokes this when he learns of Uther's assumption that he is sleeping with Merlin and protests that he'd have better taste than that if he was interested in other men, prompting Morgana to ask if Arthur is questioning her taste in partners given her own relationship with Merlin.
• Theory Tunnel Vision: Invoked when Arthur asks how Bo, Merlin and Morgana intend to keep their relationship secret from Uther; Morgana explains that given Uther's assumption that she and Bo are just indulging a youthful interest while Merlin is involved with Arthur, she doubts he'll consider the truth for a while at least.
• 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.
• Token Human: While Kenzi is generally comfortable with her status as this among Bo's friends, she swiftly bonds with Lancelot as another example of a human caught up in the craziness of fae civilisation.
• Took a Level in Badass: Subtly for Merlin; he was always skilled at using magic against his enemies in the show, but after his relationship with Bo begins, he is shown to be more willing to take a stand against his official ‘superiors’, albeit initially in small ways like telling Arthur he’s wrong (to the point that he calls Arthur’s assessment of the situation ‘bullshit’ right in front of the prince). This also extends to Merlin's actions when dealing with magic-related threats, such as beating troll minion Jonas to death with a candlestick rather than using a spell, or defying the Great Dragon by teaching Morgana magic.
• 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, able to recognise the distinction between known enemies such as Alvarr and innocent women and children who just happen to be druids.
• Treacherous Advisor: Kilgharrah tries 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.
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Brought up by Merlin regarding Mordred attacking the knights in their previous encounter. He 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.
• The Unfettered: Even without being involved in the Fae directly, Bo still draws the concern of the Great Dragon due to her lack of a side (mainly because she may impact his own plans for Merlin).
• Unlimited Wardrobe: Used for all the female characters, particularly as Kenzi starts to experiment with new designs once she accepts that she isn’t going back to the twenty-first century.
• Uptown Girl: The romance is currently just hinted at for Arthur and Gwen, but played more directly with Bo, Morgana and Merlin, as the two women are nobles in Camelot’s court while Merlin is just a servant.
• Wall Pin of Love: After Morgana apologises to Bo for not realising that her response to Morgause's actions could be interpreted as reciprocating Morgause's apparent romantic interest, Bo pins Morgana's arms to the wall with both hands so that she can give Morgana a fierce kiss to affirm Morgana's declaration that Bo is the only woman she will ever love.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: This may be the best description of Kilgharrah's view of Bo's relationship with Merlin and Morgana, as he reflects at one point that his primary concern is his visions of Morgana's dark future, which he is certain will come to pass, and how the other two will react to such a change.
• Wham Episode: Chapter 42; Arthur learns the truth about his birth, Bo's true nature, and Merlin's magic, followed by Morgana overhearing Bo and Merlin talk about Merlin's magic in turn.
• Wham Line: The moment when Kilgharrah reveals that Bo originally came from this time and place, rather than being born in the future.
• What You Are in the Dark:
  • From Morgana's perspective, Arthur has shown a surprising degree of maturity and selflessness when he 'breaks up' with Gwen to let her be with Lancelot (unaware that Gwen's feelings for him were greater than what she felt for Lancelot in the past).
  • Merlin also 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.
• 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.
• Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Arthur at least tries to find an honorable way out of the proposed duel with Morgause as he doesn't want to have to do this to a woman he doesn't know.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
  • Bo and Merlin each basically use this to convince Arthur that killing Uther because of his role in Ygraine's death isn't worth the guilt he'd feel afterwards, asking Arthur to be better than how Uther let himself be consumed by his vendetta.
  • 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 she is a good person.
• You Can't Fight Fate: Bo encourages Merlin to subvert this, arguing that just because he’s been told it’s his destiny to serve Arthur doesn’t mean he has to do so.
• You Can't Go Home Again: Technically, anyway; after Bo and Kenzi arrive in Camelot, one of their primary goals is to find a way back to the twenty-first century, but after Merlin confirms that he can’t send them back himself, they learn from Kilgharrah that actually Camelot is home for Bo at least; Aife made a deal with the Norn that sent Bo into the future when she ‘abandoned’ her daughter, and Bo coming to Camelot was just her being sent ‘home’ by Merlin’s future self.
• 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.
• Zerg Rush: Attempted against Dyson by Alvarr's forces; he manages to hold off at least ten of Alvarr's men on his own before Alvarr stabs him in the throat, forcing Dyson to feign death until he can heal.

---