History Fanfic / LostInCamelot

* TakeAThirdOption: Trick is surprised to learn of Bo's unaligned status, and reflects that he maybe should have made the rules of trial by combat more specific to avoid such a twist, even if he reflects that Bo's choice might make her more appealing as a ruler to the Dark Fae in particular.

* TakeAThirdOption: Trick is surprised to learn of Bo's unaligned status, and reflects that he maybe should have made the rules of trial by combat more specific to avoid such a twist even if he reflects that Bo's choice might make her more appealing as a ruler to the Dark Fae in particular.

* DancesAndBalls: Part of the celebration for Bo's return to the Blood King's kingdom includes an elaborate ball, attended by nobles and servants. While is slightly put out that she's unable to have a dance with her chosen partners (since Merlin and Morgana are "officially" classed as servants as they're still basically human), the other two enjoy the opportunity to be out in public with each other, even if Morgana needs to give Merlin time to get confident in his steps.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: As well as the more obvious differences between human and fae culture, such as same-sex marriage not being a problem and the lower status of humans, Bo takes a moment to remind herself that it would be a big deal in most kingdoms at this time for a woman to have the opportunity to attend meetings deciding the future of the kingdom. This prompts Bo to apologise to Morgana if she seems ungrateful for complaining about being given a chance that Morgana would have welcomed if she had been given such an opportunity in Camelot, but she and Morgana assure each other that they understand the other's different perspectives on the issue.

* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: While the triad don't intend to actually run away from Bo's discovery that she is the princess and heir, Merlin observes that he can understand Bo being overwhelmed by the idea of becoming a princess after basically being a commoner all her life, observing that if Kilgharrah had told Merlin that ''he'' was destined to be king rather than just destined to ''protect'' the future king he would have probably fled Camelot that very night.

* ShutUpHannibal: Basically the purpose of Bo [[spoiler:confronting Evony; recalling the future Morrigan's attitude, Bo points out to the still-young fae that treating other people as though they're beneath her, eventually she'll be surrounded by people who are only there because they fear her or because they want something from her, while in Bo's experience the lower classes can be just as brave and noble as the wealthy in the right circumstances]].

* UsedToBeASweetKid: Bo's maid Olga reveals that she knew Bo's mother Aife when Aife was a child, and Bo enjoys the chance to hear more about her mother before Aife went insane.

* TooMuchInformation: While the Blood King has no problem with the notion of Bo having taken Merlin and Morgana as lovers, Bo isn't as interested in hearing details about her mother's sex life.

* MortonsFork:
** 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 [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: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]].

** 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.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: WordOfGod confirms that [[spoiler:Morgana having fae heritage is a reference to the original myths, where the earliest writings on Arthurian legend identify Morgan le Fay as some type of fairy]].

* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: While the triad don't intend to actually run away, Merlin observes that he can understand Bo being overwhelmed by the idea of becoming a princess after basically being a commoner all her life, observing that if Kilgharrah had told Merlin that ''he'' was destined to be king rather than just destined to ''protect'' the future king he would have probably fled Camelot that very night.

* TookALevelInBadass: 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 [[spoiler:beating troll minion Jonas to death with a candlestick rather than using a spell, or defying the Great Dragon by teaching Morgana magic]].

* BlueAndOrangeMorality:
** Bo is sometimes surprised about the idea that this society expects her to be 'virginal' and 'pure', [[spoiler:which hampers her plans to escape Hengist's men as they're reluctant to do anything that would 'damage the goods']].
** [[spoiler: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]].
** [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: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]].

* BlueAndOrangeMorality:
** 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. 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 rather than seriously considering the idea that she could have chosen them for emotional reasons as well).

* EternalLove: When Bo, Merlin and Morgana learn that [[spoiler: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]].

* ImmortalityImmorality: When Morgana is forced to face the scale of fae life spans, she starts to worry 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.

* RefreshinglyNormalLifeChoice: 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.

* SubordinateExcuse: Merlin and Morgana both affirm that they're willing to stay with Bo even if that means being "officially" her property rather than leave the kingdom to seek their relative freedoms elsewhere.

* ThisIsMyHuman: 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, and warns them to be cautious when interacting with other fae as they would have less respect for humans than Bo or Dyson. Back in the court, most fae are shown freely talking about humans as though they’re just pets to the extent that some are unsure how long humans live ‘in the wild’, and at least one believed it was acceptable to only feed a human every week rather than multiple times a day.

** Likewise, while the Blood King doesn't show any sign of approval or disapproval regarding Merlin and Morgana as long-term romantic partners for his daughter, he requests that they do their best to protect his granddaughter, and both assure Trick that they would do their best to keep Bo safe.

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: The best description of Bo's new dynamic with [[spoiler: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]].

* CripplingOverspecialization: A fae with ElementalPowers in the Blood King's court admits that he tends to focus on fire in a fight, and so doesn't use his abilities to their fullest potential.

* ElementalPowers: One of the fae at the Blood King's court is an elemental who can control all four classical elements, although he tends to focus on using fire in combat.

* ReluctantRuler: 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, and her awareness of her fears is essentially proof that she will be a good ruler if the time comes.

* SelfDuplication: One of the fae in the Blood King’s kingdom has the ability to duplicate herself.

* TakeAThirdOption:
** 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 [[spoiler: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]].

* TextileWorkIsFeminine: 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.

* TomatoInTheMirror: 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 [[spoiler:that this ''is'' her home time and she can’t be sent back to the present without risking serious damage to Time itself]].

* TookALevelInKindness: After [[spoiler: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]].
* TreacherousAdvisor: Kilgharrah [[spoiler: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]].
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: Brought up by Merlin regarding [[spoiler: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]].

* WhatYouAreInTheDark:
** From Morgana's perspective, Arthur has shown a surprising degree of maturity and selflessness when he [[spoiler:'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 [[spoiler: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]].
* WhyCantIHateYou: 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.

** When Kenzi [[spoiler: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]].

* YouRemindMeOfX: When talking with [[spoiler: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.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
** 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 [[spoiler: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]].
* IfItsYouItsOkay: 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, [[spoiler: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.

* ImpossiblyLowNeckline: 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.

* IneffectualDeathThreat: When [[spoiler: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]].

* IntimateHealing: 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.
* ItsAllMyFault: 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.
* JerkassRealization:
** Invoked when [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: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]].

* TheLostLenore: Averted; where [[spoiler:Freya]] was basically this for Merlin in canon, here [[spoiler: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]].

* LoveRevelationEpiphany: 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, [[spoiler: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 HeroicSacrifice help Morgana make up her mind]].

* MentalAffair: 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.
* TheMindIsAPlaythingOfTheBody: Invoked when [[spoiler: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]].

* MoralityChain: Morgana explicitly reflects that Bo and Merlin are the reason she wants to be good; [[spoiler: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]].

* MotorMouth: 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.)

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
** 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, [[spoiler: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, [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: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]].

* NeverMyFault:
** 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 [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: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]].

* NoNameGiven: 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

* NotSoOmniscientAfterAll: 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, [[spoiler:although he could never have anticipated that Kenzi would suggest that all three of them share a romantic relationship]].

* OccultBlueEyes: Bo, as always; she explicitly demonstrates them to Morgana to convince her potential lover of her nature.

* PickyPeopleEater: 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.

* PragmaticHero: [[spoiler:Dyson]] demonstrates this during [[spoiler: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]].

* PrinceCharmless: When Bo and Morgana learn that [[spoiler:Uther intends to pair Bo off with Sir Leon in a BureaucraticallyArrangedMarriage, 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]].

* ReedRichardsIsUseless: A magical variation, as Merlin cannot send Bo and Kenzi back to the future despite his power, and is [[spoiler: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]].
* RefugeInAudacity:
** At one point Bo [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:to respond to Morgause's letter]], as her status as Uther's ward would stop anyone from questioning her activities.
* RefusingParadise: 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 [[spoiler: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]].

* RulesLawyer:
** In an interesting sense, Uther does this ''to himself''; [[spoiler: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.

* SelectiveObliviousness: Invoked when Arthur wonders at how [[spoiler: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]].

* ShipperOnDeck: 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.

* AbusiveParents: 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

* AdaptationalHeroism: Ultimately applies to [[spoiler:Morgana; thanks to her relationship with Merlin and Bo giving her people she can confide in about her magic, she is encouraged to reveal her abilities to Arthur and Gwen, culminating in her rejecting Morgause as her sister to the extent that she was willing to risk her own death to stop Morgause's attack on Camelot]].

* AmbiguouslyBi:
** 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, [[spoiler: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.

* ArrangedMarriage: In Chapter 50, Uther [[spoiler: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]].
* AuthorityInNameOnly: 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.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: Bo’s succubus abilities
* BadassNormal:
** 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 [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler:in Hengist's fortress, Bo finds Dyson and Lancelot working together as gladiators, with Lancelot a trusted ally to Dyson despite just being human]].

* BloodKnight: While [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: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]].

* CommonalityConnection:
** When Kenzi discusses her past [[spoiler: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.
* ConMan: 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.

* DarkIsNotEvil: Kenzi might wear black, but she remains one of the most light-hearted characters.

* DemotedToExtra:
** Played with for Arthur; he's still involved in the major plots against Camelot, but due to Bo's presence, he doesn't [[spoiler: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 [[spoiler: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)]].
* DirtyOldMan:
** 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.

* DoppelgangerGetsSameSentiment: Defied in principle; when [[spoiler: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]].

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: 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.

** 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, [[spoiler: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]].

* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
** While Kilgharrah may not be outright ''evil'', [[spoiler: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.
* EvilChancellor: 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.

* FailedASpotCheck: 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.

* TheFixer: Kenzi is essentially this, to the point that [[spoiler:she manages to put together two identical sexy outfits for Bo and Morgana on very short notice]].
* FlatCharacter: Kenzi describes Leon as having "the personality of wet cardboard" even if she doesn't actually ''dislike'' him.

* FrightInducedBunkmate: 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.

* GoodCannotComprehendEvil: 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.

* HaveWeMetYet: Chapter 33 ends with [[spoiler: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]].

* HeelRealization: Invoked when Morgana [[spoiler: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]].

* [[IHaveNoSon I Have No Sister]]: After [[spoiler: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]].

* AdaptationalSexuality: Kenzi guesses from some of Gwaine’s reactions to Uther’s prejudices that he’s bisexual.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Defied for Bo, who 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.
* BecomingTheMask: 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.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: 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).

* DrowningMySorrows: 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.

* EasilyForgiven: Once the curse is broken, Bo assures Morgana that she's not to blame for Morgause taking advantage of her to cast the original spell; as far as Bo is concerned, Morgause manipulating Morgana like that makes it clear who the real villain is.

* EntertaininglyWrong: Continuing his mistaken assumption that Arthur and Merlin had a sexual relationship, Uther assumes that Arthur had at least a brief fling with Gwaine.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: 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 for no good reason.
* EvilIsPetty: While the Blood King isn’t exactly “evil”, this is the best way to describe his treatment of Kilgharrah, such as making 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.

* HalfHumanHybrid: Technically applies to [[spoiler:Morgana; 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 shocked to learn that Morgana not only inherited fae traits from her parents, but the fae in her is becoming stronger, to the extent that she is essentially ''becoming'' fae herself even if Trick can't predict the extent of her changes]].
* HaveWeMetYet:
** 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.
** 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 [[spoiler:Evony Marquise, who Bo knew in the future as the Morrigan]].

* ModestRoyalty: 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.
* MyGreatestFailure: Trick seems to consider his treatment of Aife as this, trying to appeal to her sense of duty to understand why he can't seek revenge for her mother's death while failing to understand the depths of her grief and rage over the loss. To a lesser extent, he also expresses regret over [[spoiler: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]].

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: 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.
* ReallyRoyaltyReveal: 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 therefore the princess and heir to his kingdom.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: 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, but 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.

* StrongFamilyResemblance: 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.

* TakingTheHeat: 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.

* UngratefulBastard: 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.

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: When Bo expresses concern about her ability to be a Queen, 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.

* HaveWeMetYet: 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.

* ShoutOut: Kenzi observes that the melee sounds like it will be “more brutal than the opening bloodbath of ''Literature/TheHungerGames''”.

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: When [[spoiler: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.

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Witnessing the Blood King make various elaborate preparations to cure Bo of the curse, Dyson asks why so much work is involved when the Blood King could just write the curse out of existence. The Blood King explains that while he ''could'' do that, since the curse has become entangled with Bo's life force, removing it that way would be the equivalent of cutting someone's hair by ripping it out at the roots (messy and extremely painful even if it would achieve the desired result), and he naturally wants to find a less painful way to save his granddaughter's life.

* RefreshinglyNormalLifeChoice: Invoked when Morgana muses that even if she misses the comforts of Camelot, she'd rather be with Bo and Merlin than spend time sitting on a throne beside a man she doesn't love.

* BloodMagic: Naturally the kingdom of the Blood King is protected by this; the first defence is a magical barrier that can only be penetrated by royal, magical blood.

* SubordinateExcuse: Merlin and Morgana both affirm that they're willing to stay with Bo even if that means being "officially" her property rather than leave the kingdom to see their relative freedoms elsewhere.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: 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. 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 rather than seriously considering the idea that she could have chosen them for emotional reasons as well).

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: 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. Merlin reflects that he’s used to being treated as inferior by those of higher standing, so finds it easier to accept that idea 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 rather than seriously considering the idea that she could have chosen them for emotional reasons as well).

* IChooseToStay: While Kenzi is tempted by the offer to go wandering with Gwaine, she decides to remain in Camelot in anticipation that Bo will return to the kingdom at some point.

* ReallyRoyaltyReveal: 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 therefore the princess and heir to his kingdom.