The Merlin Trilogy: Difference between revisions

* [[Old Retainer]]: Ulfin is rescued from effective slavery (and death when his master dies) as a boy by King Uther. He repays this with absolute loyalty and rises to be Uther's most trusted servant, going on to a similar position with King Arthur after Uther dies. He's also the only person who actually seems to mourn Uther's death.

* [[Prophecy Twist]]: Merlin's prophesies often turn out this way, most notably the one about Merlin's own "end" {{spoiler|(it was much less cruel than anticipated, and did not actually mean his death)}}, and the one about Mordred being Arthur's doom (the inevitable tragedy isn't really Mordred's fault at all; it's largely the result of some terrible misunderstandings and unfortunate accidents).

* [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]]: Arthur spends the entirety of ''The Wicked Day'' trying to create and maintain a peaceful, unified kingdom. Mordred spends it trying to escape the prophesy that says he will be Arthur's doom. In the end, through a series of unfortunate accidents and misunderstandings, they both fail catastrophically and end up killing each other.

* [[Surprise Incest]]: Morgause, Arthur's half-sister, bewitches him into sleeping with her, and he only finds out afterward of their relation to one another. It's also implied later that Morgause's own ''son'' has these feelings for her.

[[Category:Fantasy Literature]]

[[Category:The Merlin Trilogy]]