Wow, I love this. How delightfully evil! And hidden in the middle of pastoral tranquility. Very, very well done!

Finished this fic for the second time. Last chapter is just filled with beautiful moments between Arthur and Merlin. Breathtaking. This works you have created is one I want more of.

Just love Arthur's description of Merlin to Will. And the scene with Arthur and Merlin discussing blame is so touching.

This chapter just breaks my heart for Arthur.

The last scene in this chapter is so very touching and powerful.

Okay, so I zipped through this because it is so good! Your writing is excellent, well thought out and presented. And the plot and characters utterly compelling. I couldn't stop reading. I plan to go back and read it again more slowly. What a beautiful way to show change, hope, forgiveness, and brotherly love.

No THAT escalated quickly. O.o

Well... that escalated quickly...

Took be a bit to realize part two is awhole separate story, and I'm happy to see a chunk of it up.

I'm loving this. Especially how you dig into Arthur’s emotions towards everyone. Great words choices, and your small little reveals. Like admitting to Will Arthur thinks Merlin is brave, or that he needs to be blamed.

I keep trying to figure out the puzzle of the mad king in my head, so I'll just skip over to your other stories.

Holy Wow!

I think you should know that thanks to you I lost a whole day as I devoured this AMAZING story!

I'm stunned. This was incredible!

I don't even know how to describe what I'm feeling properly.

The craftsmanship of writing in this story is at a level I've hardly ever seen in a fanfic. You have such a way with words - to describe things, for action, to express feelings, to turn names on the page into real, breathing, living people.

There's a very fine line to walk when writing hurt/comfort stories, especially around such a dark topic as slavery. Too many times authors, myself included, fall to the temptation to cross it for the shock value that can come, not realizing that the more powerful emotions and stories are tempered with restraint. There was so much that could have happened, that you could have done, but you didn't, and in the end, your writing is SO much more powerful because if it, and the things that DID happen mean so much more in the end.

Thanks so much for writing this story, putting it out there for people to read, stealing a day of my life as I got lost in it.

Oh, and there's probably something else I should confess...I've never even seen Merlin. And now I'm not sure I should, because it would ruin the amazing AU world this story has set up. :)

because saving arthur is saving merlin, too... will's a hero.
and merlin facing down four dragons at once and making them break off... ('kay, i'm still confused about king balinor and how he tried to help merlin's father - one and the same, though, in spite of the story? and he ordered the dragons to fight uther? so they have to obey both father and son?)
that's really lovely, merlin offering his magic back to arthur. and arthur, finally letting go and /crying/... and gorgeous, that arthur almost immediately give that little piece back to him, the right to self-defense. :D

so it seems i'm going to have to wait for the sequel. but this will keep a smile on my face for a while... (but, five years at the front lines? while i will enjoy seeing them at a canon age and after years of familiarity, i'm already sad that they haven't managed to stop the war even after years...)
thanks very much, excellent job done!

wow. incredible, you know that? amazing what uther will do for his son... but rather incredible what he /won't/ do for arthur, either...
it was will, wasn't it. who got in the way of kilith killing arthur...
poor arthur, gotta say. b/c i've broken my arm, and yeah. the pain.

aw, arthur. merlin is courage, strength and love - but so are you!
oh wait, oh wait - /balinor/ is the mad king of camelot?! what?!
(why do i find myself thinking of the knight who'd lost his sorcerer and had a burn mark and had to be turned out of the camp?...)
and yes. of course will considers it his job to rid merlin of arthur, thinking he's helping his friend...

now i wonder, who that woman was that was cursed to appear ill...
i love arthur, not even denying his responsibility for the whole charade, even though his involvement was peripheral - but voicing concern for whether the woman was okay...

i'm curious about how the binding might affect a dragonlord's ability - which is a bond in itself. if their master keeps their magic, does he keep also their ability to control dragons?

(wait, wait, wait - this story is not the end of the arc? i'm both happy and ... really impatient!)

seems to me, hunith's method of saving merlin might include finding his father...
'like your father did'... gosh, balinor. :(
okay, though, if uther isn't king of camelot - who is. and why does he have kanen terrorizing these border towns...