18.

Barely able in time to take a deep breath, Merlin felt something horrifically strong pull him into that enormous surge of water, but instead of being swept away with the surge, he was pulled hard deeper into the depths. Bubbles escaped him while his hearing began abruptly to roar and he tried twisting towards what he thought, or rather hoped, was the surface, but that enormously powerful pull sucked him down further into the deep.

Of Mirin, there was nothing to be seen.

Merlin's senses were utterly scrambled and he couldn't see anything at first, nor could he make heads or tails of his situation. Water boiled and bubbled like a mad cauldron all around him and he was still reeling with the shock of it all. Not to mention a suddenly overwhelming fear of drowning.

He felt his chest tightening, the roaring in his ears getting louder and he grimly clamped his mouth shut, trying, fruitlessly, to keep any air bubbles from escaping him. Again he turned for the surface, utterly unaware of what was up or down and fought ferociously with a rising tide of panic which threatened to wrest any control he had away from him.

A macabre part of him grimly chuckled at the thought that, for a sorcerer, he was putting the lie to the water test by sinking and actually drowning.

So many things began clamouring for his attention as he felt his strength seep away. Where was Arthur? Who would tell his mother and what would become of her? What would happen to Gaius? This was not supposed to be the way his destiny ended! Had Kilgharrah lied to him all this time? He wanted to draw breath, to call the great dragon to him, but he was definitely in a situation where calling out for anything, or even attempting to use his magic was utterly out of the question.

In his confusion his mouth opened, and he felt himself gulp seawater. He clenched his jaw shut. Trying to open his eyes, he struggled to see, and he became vaguely aware of dark forms rushing past him, but the turbulence of the water, mixed with sand and seaweed obscured his vision even more.

The pressure on his head and chest increased, the pain rising, and he could feel his limbs getting heavier and heavier the more he tried to get to the surface. With the roaring in his ears came a ringing as well. He could feel a rising darkness within him, threatening to burying him and as he struggled against it, the water around him began to clear.

Then he saw it.

In the gloom of the water, when distances between him and other 'things' became more distinct, Merlin was aware of a presence. The force that had been pulling him down no longer had him in its grip, but he floated helplessly, his arms turning to jelly while he gazed upwards at what he though was the surface.

Something in the gloom swept by him and he convulsively cringed away from it before sensing something large just ahead of him. He was rapidly losing his strength and it was becoming clearer and clearer that he was going to die. The pressure on his chest and head had turned into constricting bands, the pain increasing, while his vision contracted, forcing his attention to what was only in front of him.

The water suddenly cleared.

The sandy sea floor spread out and disappeared into the darkness at its outer edges. Small mounds of kelp, other weeds and sea pens, unfurling their long plumes, swayed gently to and fro in the movement of the surf. Before him, he could see a pair of seals, far back, effortlessly, gracefully, swimming in and out of the gloom. They were intensely curious, but dared come no closer. His body rocked with the water, and small bits of seaweed and other watery detritus floated all around him. A seal appeared to his left, swimming past him, casting a dark eyed look back at him as it passed him by.

In the gloom ahead the figure was emerging.

Merlin could only watch when an enormous seal, floating vertically, unmoving, appeared before him. It never moved a flipper. It simply floated, much like he was, before him and watching him with its huge, dark, unearthly eyes.

Another seal glided up, taking up a vertical position to the left of the larger seal, turning to face him. Another appeared taking up place to the right, then others appeared as a semi-circle of seals formed before him. Each one stared unblinkingly at him, forming an eerie underwater court, floating in position while other seals swam past, appearing and disappearing, in and out of the gloom.

With his vision decreasing, the constriction tightening and the pain rising, Merlin got the distinct sense he was being judged. Involuntarily his mouth opened again, what remaining air he had bubbled out and water rushed in to take its place. Merlin could only stare helplessly at the group of seals before him.

The darkness threatened to bury him, and Merlin almost welcomed it, seeking an end to what was happening to him. Then he felt it again, that strange, wild, ancient magic swirling around him. In his remaining glimpse of the semi circle of creatures before him, he got the distinct sense that they knew exactly who he was. Overwhelmed by that sense, he struggled with the last of his remaining consciousness, trying to understand when he felt something knock him upwards, bumping him hard towards the surface before he felt an odd pulling at the belt around his chest. He was propelled upwards. A form swept past him, another rose up, bumping him ahead of itself.

Breaking the waters, he gasped in air, feeling like his chest was on fire and he was hit again by something large, and moving fast, under him. He flopped over, trying to orientate himself. He gulped in the air -sweet, moist, sea air- panting in panic as he tried turning, trying to see where he was.

To his shock he was extremely close to shore. Again, he was hit from behind, and felt his legs scrap hard into what could only be a barnacle covered rock. Merlin turned finally, trying to swim for the shore. He knew he wouldn't be able to make it, his limbs still felt like lead. He could barely focus his vision and his breathing was in desperate gasps while he continued gulping in great amounts of air. He thrashed at the water, making no headway whatsoever. Again, something large, warm, and moving fast propelled him forward from behind.

Even in the confusion of his senses, Merlin could swear he was being herded forward by several different seals.

At the last he felt sand under him and he tried crawling out, feeling one last great push from behind. He barely could get on his hands and knees, before feeling a wave of nausea hit him and he promptly vomited.

He began coughing -more akin to gagging- trying to get the seawater out of his system while he clawed his way forward up the wet sand. He had no idea where he was at, nothing looked familiar. All he wanted was to get out of the water, and breath. He tried levering himself up, his wet, sandy clothes suddenly adding their weight, trying to pull him downwards when he felt the wet sand shake under him. Something was behind him.

Merlin cast a glance back, and was horrified to see the huge seal from the strange court suddenly rushing through the waves at him. The creature was terrifically large, his huge dark eyes fixed only on Merlin. Merlin began crabbing desperately backwards as the seal lunged and hurled itself forward up the wet sand. Convinced he was about to be crushed to death by the creature, Merlin tried to turn, trying to get his refusing arms and legs to cooperate with him to save his life.

And then someone was grabbed him from behind, shouting something, before yanking him backwards, pulling him up onto the beach. Merlin clawed at the person's arms, pedaling his feet in an effort to get out of the water from the lunging beast still chasing him out of it.

The beast came to a stop, rearing upwards to a fearsome height, its lips lifting, snout pointed skyward, whiskers bristling, showing dark, razor sharp, teeth. Merlin felt himself dragged backwards, sagging into the grip of the person behind him, still unable to take his eyes off the huge creature before him, who was shifting from one flipper to the other.

It's stance was unmistakable. Get out and never come back.

Merlin sagged, still feeling his chest heave for air and another wave of nausea swept over him, he turned, away from whomever had dragged him out of the water, and promptly emptied his stomach out again. He felt utterly drained, desperately wanting nothing more than to collapse when it began to dawn on him that the person behind him was calling him by name.

He frowned in incomprehension for a moment as he felt himself being pulled up further away from the huge seal.

"Arthur?" he managed to gasp when the person behind him abruptly dropped to his knees, supporting Merlin's shoulders and upper body.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Arthur was demanding.

Merlin became aware that a veritable whirlwind of squawking, screaming seagulls had swooped all around them.

"Selkie!" Merlin gasped over the din, still feeling his chest heaving for air. "Big, big selkie!"

"Mirin?!" Arthur exploded in disbelief, batting away a seagull coming too close to his head.

"No!" Merlin managed to gasp. "Daddy!"

"You're not making any sense!" Arthur managed to reply over the noise of the gulls.

Together the two watched as the Selkie began backing away from them, its lip still lifted in a curl of disdain and not once taking its eyes off of them while it backed into the surf.

"Can you get up?" Arthur was urging, trying to lift Merlin from the sand.

Merlin shook his head, grasping at where Arthur's arms had gripped him around his still heaving chest. "Let me.. catch my... breath!" he pleaded.

"Not much time, Merlin. There could be patrols around any second! The noise from that wave must have been heard for miles!"

Merlin nodded, clutching at Arthur's arms when the prince tried to pull him to his feet. His legs felt like rubber, as he tried to stand. Arthur was trying to hold him upright. Abruptly the wheeling, crying seagulls broke away, dispersing.

"Look!" Merlin managed to gasp.

Out on the sea, heads began popping up in the surf. Seal after seal, all staring their way, appeared and then disappeared. Both men stood transfixed while the rain, now back to normal showers, drifted over man and creature alike.

From far out over the water, a much smaller lone seal barked. Both men quickly spotted it. The creature tossed its head back, barking once more, as -one by one- the other seals began to disappear, their heads slipping away silently in the heaving surf. After a matter of seconds, that one lone seal was all that remained.

Merlin knew.

"Mirin..." he whispered.

The lone seal gazed at them, the huge dark eyes unblinking. It remained that way while the last of the seagulls vanished and the only sound that remained was the lapping of waves, the soft patter of the rain, the clink and tinkle of pebbles and shells, and the sussuration of the water as it drained off the beach.

"Mirin..?" he whispered again.

The seal tossed back its head. Then, with a joyous flip of its body, the little creature vanished under the surface of the water.

Merlin's legs gave out, and he fought another wave of nausea while the threatening wave of darkness continued trying to sweep him away.

"Don't you dare faint on me!" Arthur's voice growled in his ear. "It was bad enough traveling with a girl here, I'll not drag another girl all the way back to Camelot!"

For some inexplicable reason, Merlin found that funny and he began to chuckle. Arthur growled at him while Merlin tried to gain his feet. Arthur pulled his arm over his own shoulders, turning their way landward, heading for where their horses stood.

"Where are we?" Merlin asked in confusion, staggering like a drunk, and beginning to shiver. He was looking around in confusion.

"At the bottom of the coast road..." Arthur replied jarring suddenly when Merlin came to a stop, staring around him at the utter and complete destruction. "We've never left it." He added seeing the shock and horror on Merlin's face.

"That selkie, Mirin, packed a whole hell of a lot more of a punch than just a shock wave," Arthur was saying with conviction. "I saw that tidal wave form and there is no way you can ever convince me that it wasn't created using magic. It's wiped out everything for a league at least inland, and whatever patrol men were following us are long dead by now. That jetty is gone, all the rocks have been tossed all over the place like marbles."

Merlin turned his head towards Arthur, his jaw slack with shock. "Yeah. Right. Mirin. Magic," he stammered.

"How the hell you've managed to survive it is beyond me! I saw her pull you into that wave!" Arthur said, turning them towards the waiting horses.

"I think that might be the only reason why," Merlin managed to gasp, his teeth beginning to chatter. "I didn't get swept into the wave. Something pulled me down under it." He glanced down at his belt, still looped over his shoulder and across his chest. He frowned, fingering it.

"See?" he lifted it up. "Teeth marks."

"You're making absolutely no bloody sense!" Arthur snapped.

"And after getting her all the way back home, I get evicted!" Indignation tinged Merlin's voice.

"You damn near drowned, Merlin! And that, that thing..."

"Selkie," Merlin interjected.

"Selkie. Seal. Whatever! That thing could have crushed us both to death! What did you do to make it so mad?"

"What did I do?!" Merlin protested as Arthur staggered with him across the sand to where they could get to the horses. "What are you blaming me for?! I didn't do anything!"

"Knowing you, you had to have done something!"

"Oh sure, return one of their own to them, nearly drown in a freak wave, almost get run over by an angry sea creature and it's all my fault?"

"You're the one who wanted to bring her all the way back here!"

"And that's my fault as well?"

"Merlin quit arguing with me and get on the damn horse!"

Arthur ended up have to boost Merlin into the saddle. He was utterly drained, in mind, in body and in spirit and a weary ache was settling into his bones. As he hunched over the saddle, barely able to lift his head much less gather the reins together, he cast a glance around at the utter devastation he had knowingly caused, then he took another look out to sea.

That inner sense his magic had with everything around him, instantly detected, faint and far away, the selkie's wild, ancient, magic and he knew that a lone little seal's head poking out of the water far out in the bay was Mirin.

Epilogue

The journey back was anything but pleasant for Merlin. By the time they made it back to Camelot, Merlin was coughing, his entire body ached and he could feel a horrible tightening in his chest. Arthur had to help him down off his horse and up to his room in Gaius' chambers. The physician, having been forewarned, was well prepared for him. Leaving Merlin in his room for a moment, Gaius saw Arthur to the door.

"I'll get that delivery sent up right away," Arthur was saying, "Just let him know to take it easy. At least until you say he can return to light work."

"You did say he nearly drowned?"

"Oh yes..." Arthur tried not to think of that nightmarish wave. "How he managed not to get swept up in that thing, and beaten to death by the debris alone, is beyond thinking. It all had to have been that selkie's magic. He was babbling something about it pulling him under the wave and down to the sea floor. By rights he should be dead, he was the first one to get swept up in it."

"Perhaps Mirin was protecting him somehow?"

"I thought of that too. All the same, the near drowning and the haste to get out of Odin's land didn't lend itself well to getting him back on his feet from it. He figured it was pneumonia coming on and did what he could to prevent it. The only reason he's walking right now is because of the medicines he made on the trip back."

Gaius couldn't help the smile on his face as Arthur came to the door, opening it. "Well, I can take it from here, sire. Check back tomorrow if you like. Hopefully thing's will be improved by then."

Arthur nodded. "Now to go face Father, I'm sure he's heard something of where I've been at by now," he grumbled and turned to leave. "Now I just have to figure out what not to tell him about it."

"You've always been good at coming up with something," Gaius replied with a gentle smirk. Arthur snorted softly in amusement and left.

Up in his room, Merlin had managed to get out of his shirt, and stood in his leggings and stockings a moment before his little fireplace, grateful for the warmth coming from it. He let the heat seep into his bones before he wearily sat down on the edge of his bed, leaning over to reach for the blanket while fighting off a coughing fit.

Gaius gave a warning rap on the door before entering. "Don't get too comfortable just yet," Gaius warned, moving to the table, searching the bottles and pots he had already set up.

Merlin groaned out loud, wanting to lie down, but Gaius prevented him, taking the blankets and wrapping them around Merlin's shoulders. "Too late. All this time on horseback? This bed feel like heaven," Merlin mumbled, his eyes closed in relief, leaning precariously towards his pillow. He started coughing in earnest.

Gaius waited it out, looking down at him, holding some of his medicines and raised an eyebrow. He handed one of the bottles to him. "Take the whole thing, there's water in the flask to help wash it down."

Merlin nodded acquiescence, tossed the first bottle back, tried not to choke, and reached for the flask. The next two bottles went down the same way and it was a truly worn out, exhausted Merlin who finally lay back, sighing in relief, while Gaius made him comfortable.

He felt the bed shift when Gaius sat next to him, reaching for his wrist, checking his pulse. He cracked an eye open, looking at the old physician.

"You've some tale to tell, don't you?" Gaius asked quietly, feeling Merlin's forehead for fever.

Merlin smiled slightly and nodded. "It was worth it though, in the end."

Gaius sat back, concern on his features as he noted the state his ward was in."Forgive an old man's curiosity Merlin, I know you want sleep but tell me some of it?"

Merlin felt a wry smile curl one corner of his mouth. "She's back with her people. It worked." He paused, becoming thoughtful a moment."When I called forth that surge, Mirin's feet were in the seawater, she was trying to get the wrap off her skin. The second her fingers touched it, she grabbed me and we both went under the wave together, because of her magic. I couldn't react. That's when they all began to appear, one after another, the selkies, other seals, including what had to be the leader, or her father, I don't know, but it was one gigantic creature." Merlin stifled a round of coughs and Gaius patiently waited it out.

"All I know for certain is that I was drowning, I had swallowed so much seawater. I couldn't focus to use my own magic to get me out. I was panicking, Gaius. And the selkies, they just hung there, suspended in the water, looking at me, judging me. They barely moved. I was about to lose consciousness when I got the very distinct impression that they know who I am." Merlin cast a meaningful glance at Gaius before continuing.

"Then one of the seals hit me from underneath, shoving me towards the surface. Another grabbed my belt, hauling me up, then they took turns herding me towards shore, like I was a foot ball or something. Until that king selkie literally chased me out of the water. Arthur was right, if we had moved a muscle to go near the water, that creature would have crushed us to death."

Merlin heaved a sigh, "After that it was a mad race trying to dodge Odin's patrols getting out of his realm. I didn't get much of a chance to recuperate. I dried out from that near drowning on horseback, never felt so chafed in my life. We were racing to keep one step ahead of them. By the time we reached our borders I knew I was coming down with something." He smirked, "Kind of ironic it would be pneumonia."

"Near drowning, the stress, no chance to properly warm up and recuperate for what, the two or three days it took to get out of Odin's kingdom? It would be surprising if you didn't get it. Good thing you can make up some of the treatments for it on the road. Still, by the sound of that cough, and that fever, you have some infection going on in there. I can imagine the ingestion of seawater contributed to that," Gaius stated flatly.

"You were right all along, Gaius," Merlin said. "All she wanted was to get home. I saw her one last time before we fled, out there on the surf. I could sense her joy all the way out there. I think they spared my life, because I returned her to them."

Gaius softly smiled, nodding his head in acquiescence. "And if you are right, because they knew who you are, as well. It's the magic, it ties you all together." Gaius pondered for a moment then asked,"How has Arthur handled all of this?"

"Peeved, more than anything, with me, of course, always me," Merlin grumbled, then he offered the old man a lopsided smile, "But he's going to see what he can do about protecting selkies along Camelot's coasts. He doesn't want anyone messing with whatever power they might have, and the idea of one being indentured to a man definitely met his ire."

Gaius nodded, a soft smile touching his lips, taking in the information.

Merlin fell silent a moment, contemplating his next question, "Gaius, she gave you something, showed you something, I felt her use her magic on you. The night we left. What did she show you?" Merlin asked.

Gaius hesitated, a wistful fleeting look appeared briefly in his eyes, and he gently patted Merlin's shoulder. "And if I recall, I said it was all right. She imparted a gift to me, a private one. Nothing bad about it Merlin, it was a gift, really."

"You're not going to tell me what it was, are you?"

Gaius gave him a smile and nodded.

Merlin sighed in understanding then asked, "How are you doing? I mean, after that blast in the catacombs and dealing with Uther and..?"

"Fine, Merlin. I'm fine. Still a bit bruised and the arthritis is acting up from the cold, but you are the one we need to be concerned about, not me." He patted Merlin's arm, his attention caught by the sound of something being delivered downstairs and a voice calling out for him, "Ah," he said and with a groan he stiffly stood up from Merlin's bed. "That will be my delivery. Now I have some work cut out to do. Literally."

Merlin frowned, seeing a hint of mischief in the quirk of Gaius' smile and the raised brow. "What would that be?"

"You'll find out in short order," Gaius said, turning to go. "That's an infection trying to settle into your chest and lungs, and I'll be damned if I am going to sit up night after night trying to see it break up. I'm getting a jump start on it."

A pause settled on the room as Merlin stared at him with trepidation. "Oh no..." Merlin groaned, reaching up to run a hand into his dark hair, realization settling in. He looked at Gaius in horror.

"Oh yes, that was a special delivery from the kitchens." Gaius smiled serenely and turned to go.

"Not..?" Merlin started to ask.

Like a wise old sage, Gaius nodded his head slowly, his smile tinged with smug triumph.

"Onions, Merlin, onions."