Board Thread:What If?/@comment-5674726-20130722102922/@comment-5674726-20130811165227

That's an excellent suggestion, Edrea.

Things could have been very different if Merlin was never told of his supposed destiny. As it was, the prophecy Kilgharrah fed Merlin might as well have been tailor-made for him. It was a masterful appeal to somebody who knew himself to have special powers and who badly wanted to believe that they were given to him for a reason and that he was not a monster. After being told that he was destined to bring about a golden age, I'd say that Merlin wanted to believe that this was true because it reassured him that he was given his powers for a reason and that he was meant for great things.

I can't imagine that he would have been a fraction as willing to believe Kilgharrah if he had told him that the best thing he could do for Albion was to live out his days as a farmer and never use magic again, as he would doom the kingdom to darkness if he didn't suppress his powers.