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Loaded March #1-16
Loaded March
Merlin Fanfic
Merlin/Arthur Pendragon , Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin)
Captain Arthur Pendragon has put together the best team of specialists that the SAS has ever seen, but when his superiors assign Lieutenant Merlin Emrys as his communications officer, Arthur does everything to make him feel unwelcome. Arthur's job is to protect and guide his team through dangerous missions, and he worries that he can't do that when the newest member has a mysterious background and acts suspicious when he thinks no one is looking.
As their assignments become more dangerous, Merlin can't help but to use his magic to keep his team -- even his prat of a Captain -- safe from threats they couldn't possibly understand. But when they are sent on a undercover operation against a group of zealots intent on a magical apocalypse, Merlin needs to confront his fear of discovery and derision, and to finally trust his team with his secret.
Arthur and Merlin rely on each other for more than the sake of their mission. The entire world is at stake. When they learn -- from dragons, no less -- that they are prophesied to restore the balance of magic to the world, they fight on regardless of the outcome, because duty, honour and loyalty is a far stronger driving force than destiny.
Words: 1,261,720 complete
Merlin/Arthur Pendragon , Gwen/Lancelot (Merlin)
Captain Arthur Pendragon has put together the best team of specialists that the SAS has ever seen, but when his superiors assign Lieutenant Merlin Emrys as his communications officer, Arthur does everything to make him feel unwelcome. Arthur's job is to protect and guide his team through dangerous missions, and he worries that he can't do that when the newest member has a mysterious background and acts suspicious when he thinks no one is looking.
As their assignments become more dangerous, Merlin can't help but to use his magic to keep his team -- even his prat of a Captain -- safe from threats they couldn't possibly understand. But when they are sent on a undercover operation against a group of zealots intent on a magical apocalypse, Merlin needs to confront his fear of discovery and derision, and to finally trust his team with his secret.
Arthur and Merlin rely on each other for more than the sake of their mission. The entire world is at stake. When they learn -- from dragons, no less -- that they are prophesied to restore the balance of magic to the world, they fight on regardless of the outcome, because duty, honour and loyalty is a far stronger driving force than destiny.
Words: 1,261,720 complete
3744 pages, ebook
Published September 5, 2015
17 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 13, 2017
As a rule I don't usually track fanfiction, however this behemoth of a novel consumed my life for nearly 2 weeks straight and I needed it to be logged SOMEWHERE.
This falls nicely in the niche of 'I can't believe I'm enjoying this so much', for a modern day Military Merlin setting it really sucked me in. As someone with zero interest in war stories, military or anything the characters and writing just got me and wouldn't let go.
This falls nicely in the niche of 'I can't believe I'm enjoying this so much', for a modern day Military Merlin setting it really sucked me in. As someone with zero interest in war stories, military or anything the characters and writing just got me and wouldn't let go.
Read
January 23, 2026OH LORD I AM FREE (but I'd rather not be~)
So I tripped and accidentally read a fic that turned out to be 1,2 million worlds in length. It's, like, the size of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time. I don't ever track fics on goodreads, but last year I was sentenced to seeing people log in some truly atrocious fanfic garbage that made its way onto "real" shelves, so I'm pulling my get-out-of-jail-free card just for this one because it took me almost four weeks to get through and threw a wrench into my entire 2026 reading challenge. (It's posted in a way that doesn't make it immediately obvious that it's THAT long. Oops.)
So, anyway. This is technically a Merlin BBC modern AU but it takes the concept of Arthur Pendragon in the XXI century so seriously it deserves to be on some sort of a list.
It doesn't miss the point like *a lot* of works do. Why even bring King fucking Arthur into the future if there's no war to fight in? So he's in his thirties, he's a career soldier and a captain of a British special air service team, and there are fifteen of them: Arthur, Leon, Lancelot, Kay, Gwaine, Perceval, Bors, Galahad, Gareth, Lamorak, Lucan, Pelinor, Owain, Bedivere, and Geraint, and the way everything goes down with this team scratches the same itch that Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Master and Commander, and L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s Imager also do: there's military action and there's absolutely everything else in between. The autism that went into writing this is impeccable. One could say it's rather tedious but that could never be me! I was just googling a lot, especially at the beginning.
The way Arthur's arc dips into mythological instead of militaristic at its peak would look bad on a different action hero but it's bloody Arthur, the OG paladin, so I loved it. It's anti-war in a way, but in the right way. Fuck yeah, I felt that.
The plot doesn't really follow the show's story but a lot of the conflicts are there. Merlin is a brilliant communications engineer who's hiding his magic and is trying to fit in a closely-knit team of people who are already friends (and in a different weight category). Arthur has his mission and the Uther issues. Morgana has her visions. The dragons have infiltrated society and carry a prophecy. Magic is coming back to the world. There are druids. There's a secret society of magic users who want to take over when the magic is back. There's an arms race for both magical and anti-magical. The military and the secret services want to preserve order but also a piece of the pie. The number of additional characters necessary to pull off the slow creep of an apocalypse from the point of view of a SAS team who participates in trying to prevent it got so long that the author ran out of the Merlin BBC cast, and they're mostly not episodic and tend to stick for as long as the story needs them, which is often a while.
The writing is thick and detailed. It scratched my brain just so.
It is also surprisingly evasive and hopes you keep up with it. There's a lot of going back and forward to give the reader a bigger picture but the cards are usually kept pretty close to the chest. You miss a line and you'll be scrolling back later to find it.
And then there's the romance. (More than one, actually, but the others aren't as prominent, and if I were to tag them, I'd put it Leon/Morgana second because they do get the true spotlight.) For a fanfic that modestly implies, oh, these aren't even those people, not exactly, it has the best characterization of Merlin and Arthur I've come across so far, which kind of made me sad in retrospect because there's a lot of flanderization in this fandom-- but not here, even though it plays with it in a very specific and constructive way for a bit (just to prove it can be fun as a game but not "in reality"). A lot of spicier canonical elements like power imbalance that most writers get rid of to make their lives easier are instead treated like a normal part of life. It gets even better when Merlin and Arthur do get together because the story's scope allows for a fantastic portrayal of intimacy in a developed relationship.
My biggest criticism would be something like, not every knight is represented equally, not even close, and I would read half a mil words more to get more of everyone; the tags would make you think Lancelot has a bigger role but he doesn't (my essay on why Lancelot in modern adaptations feels unanchored and random is coming in 3...2...1... but hey, he's the medic, and I loved the sentiment). A good editor would have combed through some plotlines and untangled some paragraphs.
It's also, well, a fanfic, and therefore it's very indulgent. Nobody's in any real danger (even though it's pretty intense and you're on the edge of your seat) and nobody's getting a sudden villain treatment like the "real" retellings tend to do. There's a sexy undercover mission that ends in a major angst fest and some small twists that belong in legacy yaoi manga. There's also graphic sex. Duh.
tl;dr: The build-up that allowed a character who's just a captain to command the entire British army for a while ALONE makes this worth a read. This is exactly what I wanted from a modern Arthurian take. Also Key is perfect, no notes.
So I tripped and accidentally read a fic that turned out to be 1,2 million worlds in length. It's, like, the size of Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time. I don't ever track fics on goodreads, but last year I was sentenced to seeing people log in some truly atrocious fanfic garbage that made its way onto "real" shelves, so I'm pulling my get-out-of-jail-free card just for this one because it took me almost four weeks to get through and threw a wrench into my entire 2026 reading challenge. (It's posted in a way that doesn't make it immediately obvious that it's THAT long. Oops.)
So, anyway. This is technically a Merlin BBC modern AU but it takes the concept of Arthur Pendragon in the XXI century so seriously it deserves to be on some sort of a list.
It doesn't miss the point like *a lot* of works do. Why even bring King fucking Arthur into the future if there's no war to fight in? So he's in his thirties, he's a career soldier and a captain of a British special air service team, and there are fifteen of them: Arthur, Leon, Lancelot, Kay, Gwaine, Perceval, Bors, Galahad, Gareth, Lamorak, Lucan, Pelinor, Owain, Bedivere, and Geraint, and the way everything goes down with this team scratches the same itch that Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Master and Commander, and L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s Imager also do: there's military action and there's absolutely everything else in between. The autism that went into writing this is impeccable. One could say it's rather tedious but that could never be me! I was just googling a lot, especially at the beginning.
The way Arthur's arc dips into mythological instead of militaristic at its peak would look bad on a different action hero but it's bloody Arthur, the OG paladin, so I loved it. It's anti-war in a way, but in the right way. Fuck yeah, I felt that.
The plot doesn't really follow the show's story but a lot of the conflicts are there. Merlin is a brilliant communications engineer who's hiding his magic and is trying to fit in a closely-knit team of people who are already friends (and in a different weight category). Arthur has his mission and the Uther issues. Morgana has her visions. The dragons have infiltrated society and carry a prophecy. Magic is coming back to the world. There are druids. There's a secret society of magic users who want to take over when the magic is back. There's an arms race for both magical and anti-magical. The military and the secret services want to preserve order but also a piece of the pie. The number of additional characters necessary to pull off the slow creep of an apocalypse from the point of view of a SAS team who participates in trying to prevent it got so long that the author ran out of the Merlin BBC cast, and they're mostly not episodic and tend to stick for as long as the story needs them, which is often a while.
The writing is thick and detailed. It scratched my brain just so.
Merlin grabbed the hard drive before it slipped off the table and dived for the floor in a pathetic attempt to escape the stink of broiled fish that was sticking to the inside of the boat. He'd learned through painful experience that the firewire cord connecting it to his laptop was neither long enough nor stretchy enough to endure the jerk and slide, not without nearly tearing out the socket or taking the laptop with it. As it was, half of his tools took a dive, clattering against the bulkhead and burrowing somewhere under a sofa-bench-storage space that Ian had made sure Merlin knew contained extra life preservers.
It is also surprisingly evasive and hopes you keep up with it. There's a lot of going back and forward to give the reader a bigger picture but the cards are usually kept pretty close to the chest. You miss a line and you'll be scrolling back later to find it.
And then there's the romance. (More than one, actually, but the others aren't as prominent, and if I were to tag them, I'd put it Leon/Morgana second because they do get the true spotlight.) For a fanfic that modestly implies, oh, these aren't even those people, not exactly, it has the best characterization of Merlin and Arthur I've come across so far, which kind of made me sad in retrospect because there's a lot of flanderization in this fandom-- but not here, even though it plays with it in a very specific and constructive way for a bit (just to prove it can be fun as a game but not "in reality"). A lot of spicier canonical elements like power imbalance that most writers get rid of to make their lives easier are instead treated like a normal part of life. It gets even better when Merlin and Arthur do get together because the story's scope allows for a fantastic portrayal of intimacy in a developed relationship.
My biggest criticism would be something like, not every knight is represented equally, not even close, and I would read half a mil words more to get more of everyone; the tags would make you think Lancelot has a bigger role but he doesn't (my essay on why Lancelot in modern adaptations feels unanchored and random is coming in 3...2...1... but hey, he's the medic, and I loved the sentiment). A good editor would have combed through some plotlines and untangled some paragraphs.
It's also, well, a fanfic, and therefore it's very indulgent. Nobody's in any real danger (even though it's pretty intense and you're on the edge of your seat) and nobody's getting a sudden villain treatment like the "real" retellings tend to do. There's a sexy undercover mission that ends in a major angst fest and some small twists that belong in legacy yaoi manga. There's also graphic sex. Duh.
tl;dr: The build-up that allowed a character who's just a captain to command the entire British army for a while ALONE makes this worth a read. This is exactly what I wanted from a modern Arthurian take. Also Key is perfect, no notes.
March 23, 2022
Loaded March can be considered nothing more than one of the best interpretations of the story of Merlin and Arthur that I have ever seen. As a work that both my parents have been able to enjoy and read, Loaded March blows me away every time that I read it. No matter how well I know the plot, I’m always taken aback by the actions of characters, and the tricks played throughout always keep the reader on their toes, regardless of how much you saw it coming.
Loaded March also carries a powerful message for the readers about ancestry and legacy, and that our actions, though they may mirror others, are always our own, and we are different people not only from our family, but all those who came before us.
Loaded March also provides the reader with a bittersweet and powerful ending, giving more thought to the post-war life of soldiers than I have seen in mainstream fiction before, and the amounts of love and care shown through the author’s writing makes for an incredible work.
Please, share Loaded March to everyone you know, it’s more than just another Merthur story, it’s a retelling of british legend.
Loaded March also carries a powerful message for the readers about ancestry and legacy, and that our actions, though they may mirror others, are always our own, and we are different people not only from our family, but all those who came before us.
Loaded March also provides the reader with a bittersweet and powerful ending, giving more thought to the post-war life of soldiers than I have seen in mainstream fiction before, and the amounts of love and care shown through the author’s writing makes for an incredible work.
Please, share Loaded March to everyone you know, it’s more than just another Merthur story, it’s a retelling of british legend.
April 23, 2021
Beautifully written and looooong. I loved every part of it, from the characters to the complex plot, except the ending. The resolution seemed a bit toned-down and not in line with the rest of it.
May 16, 2020
I need fanfic of this fanfic. I don't think I can ever read another fanfic, much less Merthur fanfic, without comparing it to this masterpiece.
I think the thing that captured me the most was the way the relationships between the characters evolve. We start with knowing just a few members of the team (Merlin, Arthur, Gwaine, Perceval, Owain, Leon, Lance). We know that the others are there but they were just background characters and I didn't expect them to come into play as much as they did. After Paris, while Merlin was gone, we were introduced to every member and more. (BRAN) AND I LOVED IT!!!
Another thing that was really awesome was the way the magic was introduced and woven into the world. We start with Merlin and I just expected the magic in the world to be just him, but then it just expands and it no longer seems that this is just a military fic. Everytime I started a new part it was funny to me that it had the header "military fic", but it's not just that. It's so much more.
Now the thing with Merlin and Arthur that I loved the most is their adoration for eachother. They love eachother so much. The amount of love was intoxicating.
This work deserves so much love and praise that I can't even capture a tiny smidge of it in words.
I think the thing that captured me the most was the way the relationships between the characters evolve. We start with knowing just a few members of the team (Merlin, Arthur, Gwaine, Perceval, Owain, Leon, Lance). We know that the others are there but they were just background characters and I didn't expect them to come into play as much as they did. After Paris, while Merlin was gone, we were introduced to every member and more. (BRAN) AND I LOVED IT!!!
Another thing that was really awesome was the way the magic was introduced and woven into the world. We start with Merlin and I just expected the magic in the world to be just him, but then it just expands and it no longer seems that this is just a military fic. Everytime I started a new part it was funny to me that it had the header "military fic", but it's not just that. It's so much more.
Now the thing with Merlin and Arthur that I loved the most is their adoration for eachother. They love eachother so much. The amount of love was intoxicating.
This work deserves so much love and praise that I can't even capture a tiny smidge of it in words.
March 12, 2025
I don’t usually track fan fic on here. But this is 1.2 million words or so that I have been reading for almost 3 months.
I don’t even think this can be classified as a fanfic of the BBC show because this adds so so much from the original myths and legends, most notably the entire set of knights of the round table.
The level of details in the world building and how all the narrative strands weave in and out are fabulous. I also, unusually for me, loved all the split points of view allowing us to see different parts of the story and get to know the knights as more than just complete background characters. I don’t often recommend fanfics to people but I have a military friend who likes Merlin (a normal amount compared to how much I like it) who I’ve shared this with and is loving it so far. This has been one of those stories I’m sort of devastated to finish because I have so enjoyed being taken into this world every evening.
I don’t even think this can be classified as a fanfic of the BBC show because this adds so so much from the original myths and legends, most notably the entire set of knights of the round table.
The level of details in the world building and how all the narrative strands weave in and out are fabulous. I also, unusually for me, loved all the split points of view allowing us to see different parts of the story and get to know the knights as more than just complete background characters. I don’t often recommend fanfics to people but I have a military friend who likes Merlin (a normal amount compared to how much I like it) who I’ve shared this with and is loving it so far. This has been one of those stories I’m sort of devastated to finish because I have so enjoyed being taken into this world every evening.
March 22, 2022
The author’s mind is downright beautiful.
As a reader, I cannot express how grateful I am that this story was written down and exists. The Loaded March completely captivated me - from the depth and evolution of relationships between Arthurian characters to the conscientious painting of modern military life with a twist of creative world building into a near apocalyptic setting with political intrigue. The Loaded March was phenomenal to read. Honestly wish this were a printed book I could proudly display on my shelf and purchase for friends.
On a personal note, I could not have read this work at a better time. The bravery, shrewdness, intellect, empathy, and love woven into the fabric of the story and characters inspired me to not give up and hold onto what courage I had during one of those times where life bites and challenges you.
A masterpiece.
As a reader, I cannot express how grateful I am that this story was written down and exists. The Loaded March completely captivated me - from the depth and evolution of relationships between Arthurian characters to the conscientious painting of modern military life with a twist of creative world building into a near apocalyptic setting with political intrigue. The Loaded March was phenomenal to read. Honestly wish this were a printed book I could proudly display on my shelf and purchase for friends.
On a personal note, I could not have read this work at a better time. The bravery, shrewdness, intellect, empathy, and love woven into the fabric of the story and characters inspired me to not give up and hold onto what courage I had during one of those times where life bites and challenges you.
A masterpiece.
June 19, 2018
La mejor saga de fanfics jamás escrita, lo tiene todo. es muy larga pero vale la pena cada segundo, es como tv en tu cabeza, no se si es que cuando me sumergí en la historia fue que mi imaginación comenzó a volar o si era la escritura de la autora, pero todo lo puedo recordar como si fuera una película, con detalles y todo.
mi escena favorita fue cuando el NWO empezó con los ataque terroristas para tomar londres y todo se fue al carajo ( la escena del metro, dios mío, y la del barco, estaba comiéndome las uñas de la angustia) que buena manera de construir una historia. mis felicitaciones a esta autora y no solo está, TODOS sus fics son muy buenos(the dragon rises y Evil Overlord son buenos ejemplos).
De lo mejor que puedes encontrar en AO3.
está autora debería hacerlos libros de verdad.
mi escena favorita fue cuando el NWO empezó con los ataque terroristas para tomar londres y todo se fue al carajo ( la escena del metro, dios mío, y la del barco, estaba comiéndome las uñas de la angustia) que buena manera de construir una historia. mis felicitaciones a esta autora y no solo está, TODOS sus fics son muy buenos(the dragon rises y Evil Overlord son buenos ejemplos).
De lo mejor que puedes encontrar en AO3.
está autora debería hacerlos libros de verdad.
January 20, 2023
I can’t believe I finished this. I literally can’t. What happened to my scared-of-commitment self, huh? What happened to all the “I see a book close to 500 pages these days and I run” speeches? What. The. Heck.
Listen. Listen. This consumed my life for two weeks and a half. It didn’t have a single boring moment. Not a single one. What.
I literally couldn’t stop reading. Who needs sleep, anyway? Or food. Or showering. Or cleaning.
(I had to force myself to do those things and every time felt like I was trying to unglue an octopus from my skin)
The dedication this fic had to be written. I’m in awe. It definitely became one of my favorites, full stop.
Listen. Listen. This consumed my life for two weeks and a half. It didn’t have a single boring moment. Not a single one. What.
I literally couldn’t stop reading. Who needs sleep, anyway? Or food. Or showering. Or cleaning.
(I had to force myself to do those things and every time felt like I was trying to unglue an octopus from my skin)
The dedication this fic had to be written. I’m in awe. It definitely became one of my favorites, full stop.
August 17, 2021
I never leave reviews and I definitely never rate fanfic publicly, but this masterpiece deserves all the accolades! If I were a billionaire, I'd fund the film adaptation of this series. It's been years since my first read-through, and I still think about this story regularly. Every aspect of this series is stellar, including the spot-on characterizations (some unforgettable original characters!!), thrilling plot, witty dialogue, subtle details woven over the course of 1+ million words! If I was stranded on an island and could only have 1 thing to read, I'd choose Loaded March.
October 15, 2024
I couldn’t resist putting this fan fic series on here because it’s a true masterpiece. ‘Footloose’ is probably the best BBC Merlin fan fic writer out there. They put so much detail and do so much research in their fics that they feel like actual books. This fic series spans 16 books and 1.6 million words which is amazing in itself. I first started this fic series early 2023 and finished it in less than a month
December 14, 2022
It started really well, then in the sixth book it just started to smear.
The emotions of the characters and the development of the plot also do not make sense.
But I did survived until book 9, so 3 stars.
The emotions of the characters and the development of the plot also do not make sense.
But I did survived until book 9, so 3 stars.
January 8, 2021
What a wonderful reimagining of the characters, and my first introduction to the Merlin fandom. Flawlessly written.
April 8, 2021
I consumed this in about 2 weeks. I loved it so much. I wish it was a book series sitting on my shelves that I could just pick up and carry around with me.
Read
June 19, 2022It took me 4 months but I finally finished this beast😎 (it was good though, if you like LONG bbc Merlin ff)
May 16, 2023
don't usually add fanfiction here because i just read so much of it but this series is an absolute behemoth and i loved every second of it. absolute masterpiece and so unique. a work of art
January 15, 2026
I will never not love this masterpiece
April 21, 2017
Es larguísimo, en realidad son como varias novelas, no soy muy de temas militares pero está muy bien escrito y la autora sabe bien lo que hace, como ver una serie de TV, genial.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews