Iron Knight by Emachinescat

A Merlin and Iron Man Crossover Fan-Fiction

SUMMARY: At Arthur's darkest moment, Merlin comes up with a plan to save the king from his doom, saving one legend and paving the way for another to be born in the process. Crackish.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or Iron Man. If I did, this totally would've happened. ;)

A/N: SPOILERS for show finale! Also, bromance ahead. Enjoy. :)

Iron Knight

"You're not going to die, Arthur."

Arthur looked up at his servant - sorcerer - through blurred eyes from where he lay on the ground. Pain sliced through his chest and the added stress of finding out that his manservant, his best friend, was not only a sorcerer, but the most powerful one to ever walk the face of the earth, didn't help matters. Still, during the journey to the Lake of Avalon that they both knew was ultimately doomed, Arthur had learned more about Merlin's integrity, loyalty, and friendship than he had in the many years they'd known each other. Arthur was also learning that magic was not all bad - how could it be, if Merlin could do it?

He wanted to have more time. He didn't want to die, especially not now, when he had just learned the truth. But Merlin had told him with grave eyes what Gaius had said. Not even one as powerful as Merlin (ha, Merlin, powerful! That would take some getting used to.) could save him from the enchanted blade that was burrowing its way to his heart. Perhaps these ancient beings that Merlin spoke of would be able to help him, but that was only if they got there in time, and didn't look like they would.

"Merlin," Arthur gasped out, sweat beading his brow. They had stopped for a rest somewhere deep in the woods along the way, and he was lying beside a makeshift fire that Merlin had... had magicked into being, squinting up at the magical idiot. "You... heard Gaius. It's going to get... to my heart... and I will..." He trailed off, the pain becoming too bad to talk.

Merlin shook his head stubbornly, and if Arthur had had the strength, he would have cuffed him over the head. Enough was enough. Arthur was going to die, and he didn't need any false hope of survival to make this any harder! "I've been thinking of a plan. I think I can save you, despite what Gaius said."

Arthur barely had the strength to raise his eyebrows.

"He said I couldn't draw the sword shard out of you, but he never said that I wouldn't be able to hold it off. If I could concentrate enough magic around the wound, I could keep the shard from entering your heart and heal the wound. You'd have to have the magic with you at all times, and I'd have to find a way to contain it, but... I think I can buy you some time. Even if I can't draw it out, my magic should certainly be strong enough to hold it back!"

Arthur hardly dared to hope, and was too weary to fret about magic being used on him. "How?"

Merlin scratched his chin. "Oh, your armor!" he said, his eyes lighting up with hope. "I can repair it, strengthen it, put magical barriers on it. It'll be able to contain the magic that I use to save you. Lemme just think of a spell..." He closed his eyes for a second, and then rattled off some nonsense words. Arthur tried to look undisturbed by the fact that his servant was doing magic, and did a fairly good job of it, too, considering he was too injured to make much of a fuss. His eyes did widen considerably when his armored body began to glow, the dirty metal shedding its muddy shell and shining brightly. When the light faded away, Arthur found himself wearing armor the likes of which he'd never seen. It glimmered with an ethereal shine, and it had not a scrape or a dent in it. The only disturbance in the smooth surface of the full knight's body armor was a hole at the middle of his chest.

"What's that?" he managed to ask.

"The magic has to go somewhere, doesn't it?" Merlin beamed. He placed his hand inside the hole, and it fit perfectly, the tips of his fingers barely brushing the edge of the circle. Again, he chanted some long, complicated words. His eyes flashed a stunning gold, and then the hole in the armor was flooded with a pure white light. He felt the strengthening magic enter his body, and although the site of the wound still hurt, he couldn't feel pain anywhere else, which meant that the shard had been halted in its deadly journey to his heart. He gasped, struggling to sit up.

"How do you feel?" Merlin asked. "Is it working?"

"I think so," said Arthur, then grimaced. "But the wound still hurts."

"Right," said Merlin. "I'm on it."

For a third time, Merlin did magic, and the sword wound was healed with a flash of golden eyes. Still a bit weak from blood loss, Arthur stumbled to his feet, pleased that he otherwise felt good as new. "Merlin!" he said, his voice disbelieving. "You did it!"

Merlin allowed himself a relieved grin, but warned, "Until the Sidhe properly heal you and remove the enchanted blade's shard from your body, you will have to wear this suit at all times. The magic will continuously pull the shard toward it, keeping it from getting any closer to your heart."

"Right," said Arthur. "Of course." He gave his servant a wide grin. "I feel great! I feel like I'm ten feet off the ground."

That's when small sparks of magic congregated near the bottom of his new metal boots and started to lift him into the air. Arthur quickly sobered, scrambling around desperately for a tree limb to keep him from flying off indefinitely. Merlin watched, flabbergasted.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelped, all traces of good humor gone. "What did you do?"

Merlin, desperately trying to decide whether he should be laughing or crying, called up, "Um, seems my magic is being a bit... unpredictable. It's trying to help."

"Well, then, it's just as useless as you!" Arthur snapped, nearly losing his grip on the branch. "How do I get down?"

"I'm not sure..."

"Merlin!"

"...but once you figure out how to control it, I'm sure you can find a way to use it to your advantage!" Merlin hastily tagged on, trying to cheer Arthur up.

"You are an idiot, Merlin."

Six Hours Later

"It's lucky that I had this great idea!" Merlin grinned as he and Arthur began the trek back to Camelot from the Lake of Avalon. "The Sidhe elders said that if we'd tried to make it without the suit, you would've died!"

"Not for the first time, I'm sure," Arthur said seriously, "you have saved my life. And I thank you."

Merlin's smile became even wider, and the tips of his ears turned red. "It's my destiny," he stated. "And I'm your friend."

Arthur squeezed Merlin's shoulder, a bit too tight, thanks to the suit and Merlin yelped. "Aren't you going to take that thing off?" Merlin wondered. "You don't need it anymore. The Sidhe removed the shard."

"I don't think so, Merlin!" Arthur scoffed. "There are still some loose ends to tie up, anyway. We need to find and stop Morgana, get rid of any remaining Saxons, and help put Camelot back in order. This suit will help tremendously! Besides, I've been thinking. If I had something like this in battle, we would be able to overcome our enemies much easier! I could stop my men from getting killed."

Merlin looked at his master with wide, hopeful eyes. "But, Arthur," he said. "It's magic."

Arthur blinked. "Yes."

"Magic is... outlawed."

"Not anymore," said Arthur briskly.

Merlin's heart leaped. "You like the suit that much? You're going to repeal the ban for it?"

"No, you idiot," Arthur groused, rolling his eyes in an exaggerated manner at the pure idiocy that was currently exuding from his friend. "I'm repealing it for you, you moron!"

If Arthur thought that Merlin's smile could not get any wider, he was sorely mistaken. At Arthur's words, the young warlock's grin became so wide that it nearly split his face. "Thank you, Arthur."

Arthur shook his head. "No. Thank you, Merlin."

Several Centuries Later

"Legend calls the knight with the magical suit of armor 'Le Chevalier Fer' or ''The Iron Knight,' a title most likely coined by the Galls in the years after their occupation of the British Isles. No one knows if this mysterious, flying knight actually existed, and mythology scholars debate heavily on the identity of the alleged "super knight." While some insist that it was an unnamed knight, others say that it was the legendary Merlin in disguise, and still others claim that Le Chevalier Fer was none other than King Arthur himself.

While the story about this superhuman man encased in the flying suit is purely fancy, there are some who truly believe that such a great personage existed, and helped Camelot through some of its toughest battles. It is significant to note that the claim of these sightings of this Iron Knight ceased shortly after King Arthur's death.

Truth or merely fiction, this figure of legend has inspired many to stand up for what they believe in, and have caused many people to live to their fullest potentials. Such is the power of a great myth."

The young, dark-haired boy closed the book that had been given to him by one of his father's assistants for his birthday. He really liked the story about the Iron Knight. It was fascinating, and it stirred up something inside of him that he didn't fully understand.

Someday, the young Tony Stark decided, I'm going to be the next Iron Knight.

How was he to know that this particular legend would stick with him, in the back of his increasingly brilliant mind, for years, until he was prisoner in another land with shrapnel trying to inch his way into his heart? And that then, when the prospect of escape seemed to be at its lowest, he would remember the great Le Chevalier Fer... The Iron Knight.

And thus, one great legend inspired another, and Iron Man was born.

Fin.

A/N: Well... here's hoping you enjoyed it! This just came to me as I was rewatching bits of the very disappointing Merlin finale. When Gaius said that the sword forged in dragon's breath's shard was moving its way to Arthur's heart, my brain went "ooooooooooooo" and I thought "That's like Iron Man!" Now, this isn't supposed to be taken seriously. So if there are any hardcore Marvel fans out there that are like, "Nooooo, that's not how Iron Man was born!", this is just for fun. Like I said, crackish. Although the bromance is oh so real! :)

Hope you guys enjoyed it; please let me know what you think! I can't stop giggling at the though of Arthur flying around Camelot in an Iron Man suit, waving his arms and shouting, "For the love of Camelot!" with the Knights of the Round Table and Merlin following him on foot. Heehee...

Please review!

~Emachinescat ^..^