this is great , wonderfully written

So cute! I wondered why Merlin was never really in the stocks after season 1. This makes perfect sense and is so sweet! Head cannon accepted!

A sweet look at a very astute observation of Merlin’s dealings with Uther’s favorite threat—the stocks.

Thank you for sharing!

Beautiful story!

It's only a two-shot, but for some reason I now imagine Berimund as Merlin's dad, and I imagine that he tells Merlin stories of him as a kid while Merlin happily polishes his armor after a hard day of training or work, or he ruffles his hair when Merlin comes and greets him from patrol, and Merlin going out to find him to tell him about his day and how prattish Arthur is being, and maybe even train him properly on using a sword for when Arthur wants to train (maybe teach him a smaller weapon like daggers cuz merlin is just a baby boi), and oh my goodness this is so friggin cute, I love it, DaddyBerimund for the win!

Well written!

I adore this story! I too have wondered why the stocks disappear after the first season, and pondered a fic that explained why that might have happened. But, now I don't have to write it, because yours is everything I could have asked for! THANKS for sharing! This is going in my favorites!

P.S. You are also an exceptional writer.

Berimund is so wonderful! I love him.

Gosh. I was biting on that leather with Merlin. I shudder at how well that was written.

Keen eye, Berimund has. I like that about him. And I’m glad he’s coming around about Arthur. He’s had over twenty years to observe the noble and Arthur started changing for sure by age twenty-one when Merlin and then Gwen entered his life.

Great OC.

“Last time, I actually cared. This is an excuse.” LOL. Arthur you boar!

That was so mean of Arthur! To pound fruit at Merlin knowing that it was his fault that the servant was in there anyway. What a jerk! LOL!

Poor Merlin! Whips and stocks! Was that even fair?

Oh, yeah. Uther did say that in the Gates of Avalon. Nice tie-in to the show.

Another nice tie-in to an episode, The Sword in the Stone, Part 1, I think? Hehe. Arthur hadn’t seen him in the stocks for years and your story makes that scene much more real, tangible. Nicely done.

Great ending to the story. I loved the fact that Arthur is the one who helps Merlin in this case.

Well done!

Beautiful story! Great writing, and the second chapter was even better than the first. Had to point that out cos usually the merlin and arthur chapters are the best for me and the rest are meh. Liked Berimund alot, great characterization.

Nice! Very enjoyable read. Crystal (my daughter) caught wind of the premise and has demanded I lend her my tablet so she can read it, too XD

Ok, so I read your note at the beginning, then promptly NetFlixed to review the episode before watching. And laughed through much of it. Then kept laughing through about the 1st half of the story. Great job! XD

i like that merlin owns his decision to keep his word to cover for arthur. (i liked that he lied to gaius in the last chapter, too, forgot to say.) he could have told uther exactly what happened, and got out of trouble himself - but he didn't.
it's great and funny that the guard is willing to have a word with arthur on merlin's behalf. b/c if arthur was different, the guard might be in the stocks for that bit of insolence...
nice little glimpse of later on, too. that merlin has this friend, and he's noticed how much merlin has meant to arthur - sometimes the best lessons are learned when someone else has to endure the punishment...
(made me think of 'prince and the pauper', when miles hendon is whipped and sits in the stocks...)