Morgana plunged angrily into the water, coming back up with a huff as she took another angry leap inside. She did not know what she intended to do, perhaps she hoped to cut through the waves, perhaps she hoped to drown herself, but she knew that she could accomplish neither. Still it was a good way to let out her anger, her anger at her mentor, her anger at the world, her anger at herself.

Nimue was a good mentor and wise woman, but her patience and temperament were similar to Morgana's own, which made for a frequent clash in egos and interests. Nimue did not agree with Morgana's egalitarian beliefs, and Morgana frequently opposed her mentor's harsh judgement against other species.

Morgana swam over to the most forbidden place for merfolk and sat on a large stone protruding on the edge of the stone wall. After reveling in a moment of peace and solitude, she heard light footsteps approaching. She was about to jump right back into the water when she heard a loud gasp.

"You're - , You're really a - …"

"What?!" Well, it seemed like she's been found, so she might as well face this as she did everything else in her life – head on.

"- Mermaid? And you can talk?"

"No, no. I am a troll, communicating with you through screeching noises that only you for some strange reason can understand."

The Human looked pitifully perplexed at her retort, the sarcasm of the statement drowned out by her deadpan tone.

Morgana sighed, rubbing both her palms against her forehead in an attempt to calm down. Nothing she said was coming out right that day.

The Human was looking at her with the same expression - a mix of curiosity and confusion, although wariness had now joined the fray. He is afraid of magical creatures. Good. He should be.

She decided to ease his confusion on one subject, at the very least. "Yes, I am a mermaid, and yes, I can talk."

All the confusion seemed to disappear only to be replaced with a defiant streak.

"I know."

"Good. You will be on your way, then?"

"Shortly. But first I must collect enough clams for supper. It is what I came here for."

"And what makes you think I'll let you do such a thing?"

"Why? You do not claim the ocean and all the creatures in it!"

"You're right. I do not. But I do claim this particular part, and the creatures here are under my hold. Why should I allow you to chew on them…. unless you have something for me in return?

If she was truthful, though, she really didn't need anything. She could have easily let The Human take whatever he wanted, and be on his merry way. She was under no illusion that man (or merman) could survive on seaweed alone. The bigger creatures survived on the smaller ones, it was the way of the world and she had absolutely no qualms about it. This was why she let the fishermen pile in fish for the season, as long as they stuck to the required amount. There would be no overfishing as long as merpeople were around. But playing with this human was too good an opportunity to pass; he was intriguing, and rather funny looking. She knew enough about the species to identify him as a male, but he looked and acted significantly different from the brawny, roudy fishermen and pirates she had encountered in her lifetime. He was tall and thin, very thin, had skin as smooth and light as a beach pebble.

"That depends. What do you want?" His voice quivered, ever so slightly, and she felt simultaneous respect and pity for him as he tried to remain calm in the face of danger, something he had been no doubt taught to associate with creatures like her.

After about three minutes of contemplation (which she had needlessly prolonged just to see him drown in unease), she finally decided she'll ask him to shed a piece of his clothing.

"I want whatever is tied around your neck."

"My neckerchief?" He asked, confusedly toying with the fabric.

"If that is what you call it."

"I… don't have many of these, nor have I enough money to buy more at whim."

"Well, that's a pity. I was really hoping to get my hands on it. And I assume you were equally hopeful to get clams for your supper." She drew out the last word, hoping to convince him fully. It worked.

"Alright." He untied the knot at the base of his neck and held out the shredded piece of fabric to her.

She took it slowly, temporarily transfixed by the creamy portion of his neck that now lay bare, creating an amazing contrast with the rest of his facial features – full, plump lips, hair as soft and black as a raven's feathers and eyes as blue and deep as the sea.

She held the neckerchief, as he had called it, in her hands and inspected the fabric. It was well worn, a faded blue in colour and peppered with holes. In the meantime, The Human had finished stuffing the last of the clams into his sack, and was beginning to leave as he threw the rucksack onto his shoulder.

"Wait!"

Morgana was shell-shocked at her own voice. Never in her life did she remember sounding so desperate. How pathetic.

He turned around, and Morgana clawed at a conceivable explanation for her unexpected outburst.

"My name is Morgana. I believe this little exchange of ours deserves an introduction from both sides, don't you think?"

After searching her face for any signs of trickery, he conceded.

"I'm Merlin."

Why anyone would name a human child after a species of bird was beyond her, but she was far too happy to get acquainted with a pleasant stranger to pay too much attention to the errant thought.

"Thank you for this" She smiled, holding up the neckerchief.

After a moment hesitation, he returned her smile. "You're welcome. And thank you for these." He pointed to the sack full of clams before trotting up the beach hill.

She watched his silhouette as it slowly faded out of sight. She was left with a warm, light sensation filling up her entire being.

Morgana wasn't unfamiliar with the rush of doing forbidden things just for the sake of it. Nimue's chastising and Elaine's disapproving looks did nothing to stop her from whatever she wished to do. But she knew that there was a line, which had definitely been crossed today. And she was sure that Nimue would banish her to the other end of the ocean should she ever find out, but Morgana found that she could hardly care. Her encounter with The Hum- no, Merlin, however brief, was unlike anything she had experienced before.

Lost in her thoughts, she barely realized that she was clutching the neckerchief to her face like an idiot. She breathed the scent of the fabric, it smelled ambrosial and was still warm.

So many thoughts, so many desires warring inside her head and yet the only one that stood out was I hope he likes clams.

Merlin's brain was still whirling from the experience which felt entirely too surreal to be true.

He'd met a mermaid. A mermaid. And by the gods she was the most breathtaking creature he'd ever laid his eyes upon.

She'd even told him her name, Morgana. It had such a fine ring to it. Like it was meant for her and her alone.

He didn't want to think too much on the matter because of many reasons, two of them being the most prominent ones.

The first reason being that mermaids were known to be dangerous, alluring creatures who spelled doom for any men that were foolish enough to fall into their clutches.

The second reason, though, both terrified and disgusted him. He realized that being insanely attracted to a non-human creature was, in fact, a form of sodomy.

He needed to get her out of his head. He needed to purge this unhealthy obsession before he was lured back to her.

He gripped his hair in frustration. This was all Arthur's fault, if His Royal Pratness had not been adamant on having clams for dinner, none of this would have happened. Why Uther had sent his son to Cornwall, of all the places, that too for a whole damn month he found hard to recall – something about Cornwall being an important and strategic piece of land, and that Arthur must identify its value by going there himself.

Merlin's only relief was that nobody had tried to kill Arthur as of yet, but knowing from experience, he knew it was only a matter of time till that advantage was taken from him as well.

Merlin cursed his destiny for what seemed like the millionth time in his twenty three-year-old life. Of course, he would end up going back to the same dreaded place to meet the same dreaded creature. Fate really hated him. Or well, Arthur really hated him, there was little difference anyway.

"Back so soon, Merlin?"

The sound of his named caused Merlin to jerk back from where he was preparing his rucksack.

There he found Morgana the Mermaid perched on her usual stone, a pile of fresh clams by her side. He stood there for several moments, unable to tear his eyes away from her and just move, who cared if it was toward her or away from her, anything was better than making a fool of himself.

Morgana must've noticed his deliberation because her bright gaze suddenly turned into a wistful one. He realised that he had not only been acting like a fool, but he was also being rude, to a mermaid, why do you even care what a mermaid thinks about you? Except that he did, seeing her lovely face painted with disappointment made something inside him twist with rebellion.

He walked towards her and crouched down beside the pile of clams she had so thoughtfully collected for him. Sharing one look of conformation with Morgana (though he didn't really need that, who else could they be for?), he proceeded to pick up the shells and started to gently ease them into his bag.

"I know you've been taught to fear us." piqued Morgana. "I've been taught to stay away from Humans as well. But I never have been one to follow the rules blindly." The last like was followed by a light chuckle.

"I believe that certain rules are meant to be followed, they come from experience after all." He had never lied so blatantly, especially to himself. He had been a constant headache to his mother precisely because of this reason, his boundless curiosity and the fact that he could never stay still.

"I know. You do not have to talk to me if you do not wish to do so."

"Why do you want to talk to me, anyway? I'm hardly an interesting person."

"Well, debatable, isn't it? At least until I form my own opinion."

She smirked at him and he laughed at her quip.

This is how they found themselves drowning in conversation and laughter and each other's voice for hours on end.

It wasn't until he'd started feeling the heat of the sun prickle at his skin that he realized that it was probably noon and he was extremely late.

"I think I've got to go. It was nice talking to you."

"You as well, Merlin." And she smiled so thoroughly that he had to stop for a moment.

"Wait, just…" He cupped his palms and uttered softly, "Blotsma"

A pure white lily arose in his cupped palms, and Morgana stared at it in complete awe.

He expected something like, "You have magic?" accompanied by a fair amount of indignation. But all she said was,

"Merlin, that's amazing! You – You're amazing." She took the lily from his hand and held it up to her nose.

"You don't mind that I have magic?"

"Why would I, when I am a magical creature myself?" At seeing his dumbfounded expression, she laughed, "You are precious, Merlin. Very precious."

She sighed, fiddling with the lily, "Did you know I love land flowers. There was a little human girl, some years ago. I figure she… wandered here by chance, I don't think she was supposed to. Nor was I supposed to talk to her. But I did, and she was so sweet, Merlin. So sweet to me. She had to leave soon, and I haven't seen her since then, But she left me a flower. I still have it with me. I'll show you someday."

"How is it that you still have the flower?"

She smiled a mysterious smile, "Magic" she whispered and disappeared into the endless blue of the ocean, leaving her laugh still reverberating in his head, and his heart spilling out of his chest.

They fell into a routine. He used to wake up before the light of dawn and she used to wait for him at her rock at the shore.

They shared jokes and information and camaraderie, getting to know more about each other's strange yet enticing worlds. He brought her flowers, new ones everyday and she cherished them all. She kept them alive with her magic and stored them in a secret hiding place in her home.

This time, however, as he hurried along the beach hill, he knew something was different. She was sitting with her back turned towards him, staring intently at something in her hands.

She turned as he grew closer, still hiding the object in her palm.

"You always give me flowers. You come here every day just to see me, and I have not yet returned the favour."

"It's no favour, Morgana. I come here out of my own free will and am more than happy to do so."

"I know, but… I… have spent so long searching for a purpose, a completion to my existence, and have tried to fill that void so many times, over and over again, with silly rebellions or explorations or just the company of my scaly friends. But the truth is… I've never really belonged anywhere-"

"That's not true-"

"-Except when I'm with you.

"You've brought light to my existence, Merlin, and no amount of thanks will be enough to express my gratitude, nor any amount of gratitude to express my joy."

Merlin could hardly believe what he was hearing. It was true that he had grown quite enamored with the Morgana in the past days, but he had never expected her to reciprocate a fraction of such feelings. Even after spending so much time around her, and getting to know her as a free spirit, with the kindest and most loyal heart, some stubborn part of him was still stuck to the belief that he was little more than a temporary amusement for her.

"And so I'm giving you this" She held out her palms. Cradled in them was a small, heart shaped block of ice of the most vivid blue-green colour. He picked it up gingerly and made the most amazing discovery.

"It's warm to touch, isn't it? I've been practicing my magic with water for a while, I've learnt to manipulate tides and create ripples, but I wanted to see if I could try something harder. There is a lake, inside the ocean." Merlin's eyes widened as she spoke. "It is sacred. We use it as the shrine of the triple goddess. The water from that lake is…unique. It is wonderfully warm and sparkles like a million stars have lit up the sky."

She paused for a moment, and after giving him a strange look, she continued, "I have always tried to freeze the water from the lake, but I never could, until now. I believe that it must come from whatever it is I feel for you, this source of energy. It's almost like trapping my love for you in this little trinket." She smiled wetly as she looked at the object in his hand, looking much tinier in his palms than it did in hers, yet somehow much more fitting.

Merlin seemed to have lost the ability to talk after hearing her profess her love for him in such a heartfelt way. He did not trust his mouth, his mind to be able to form any coherent words after this, so he simply cradled her chin with his knuckles and pressed his lips to hers. It was the sweetest, most heady sensation he had ever experienced. It was like flying over the sky with no danger of falling. Like swimming across the ocean with no danger of drowning. Like he had already died and gone to heaven, if such a place existed.

With those thoughts floating in his head, he felt Morgana pull him closer as she wriggled her way back into the ocean. He felt her going deeper and deeper as she pulled him with her. She surrounded his waist with both her arms to support him, never losing contact with his eyes.

"Do you trust me?"

He didn't kid himself, at that point, even if she had been leading him to his death, he would've followed her blindly.

But he did trust her, god help him, he trusted her more than anyone in the world.

"Yes."

"Then close your eyes"

He did as she asked, but for some reason she felt like doing it herself, so she gently closed his eyelids with her lithe fingers.

After a few minutes she gave him permission, and he opened his eyes to the most breathtaking sight.

The water surrounding them was glowing, the bluish-white brilliance dimming out the light of the moon, as the pyrosomes danced around them as if celebrating their union. And here, in this moment, with her entire being lit up with the external glow around them, and the love that radiated straight from her heart, he realized that life couldn't be kinder to him.

This is meant to be a birthday gift for horoscopesarelies.

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