It’s not Greek but Irish: From Draoight, chapter 12 Crom Cruich was a death god that St. Patrick personally defeated. The magic boar hide and the three sidhe are all from Irish myth. Oengus is one of the last of the great sidhe lords, Cair the swan sidhe is one of his wives, and Nemglan king of the birds is his son.
Chapter Text Nimue’s sleep was troubled, so much so Lancelot could not rest worrying about her.. When morning came she was in pain and feverish. Trying to leave her to find Merlin and Morrigan had her in tears, and Lancelot did not like the way she smelled.
Merlin laid his hand on his daughter’s forehead and felt the fever burning in her. Morrigan did not have to be asked; she shifted into raven form and flew away.
“What is causing this?” Lancelot fighting down his own panic asked
Merlin.“Crom Cruach is behind this,” Merlin replied nervously and sat on the bed beside them. “I no longer have the powers to fight him.”
“Then what do we do?” Lancelot retorted. “She’s dying.” He was on the verge of panic, but what could he do?
Morrigan was only gone a few hours, and when she returned she had Oengus, Cair and Nemglan with her.
Oengus immediately took the girl from Lancelot, who at first did not want to surrender her. "I can help her," he assured the young fey warrior. Turning to his consort, he said, “She still carries death in her womb.”
Cair, carrying a small bag, turned to Merlin and said, “We need water.”
Merlin bolted out the door and came back with a cup. Cair poured a powder into the water and held it to Nimue’s lips. “Drink, young queen.”
Nimue, feeling less pain in Oengus’ arms was able to swallow the foul tasting liquid, a sip at a time.
Oengus held his hand out to his son who placed a thin piece of leather in it.
. Merlin’s eyes widen in recognition.As Oengus shook it out with his free hand, his other holding Nimue, the skin unfolded into something much larger.
“The Persian skin,” Merlin muttered in awe of the wild boar hide embedded with healing properties.
Oengus laid Nimue back on the bed and covered her with the skin. He stood up a grim look on his face and turned to Merlin. “He attached himself to her when he did this. We can save her body, but he means to take her children before they are born.”
Lancelot stepped forward. “We sealed the cave.”
Oengus smiled. “You only keep things inside. This does not need the real world to work.”
Morrigan, standing at the door, asked, “How do we remove him from her?”
“Offer Crom another sacrifice,” Oengus said and turned to Lancelot, “one connected to her. Crom wants blood, yours or hers.”
This was the easiest thing Lancelot ever had to do. “Mine. Just tell me what to do.”
Oengus laid Nimue on the bed and turned to Morrigan, grabbing her by the back of the neck and pressing his forehead to hers. No words were spoken, only the power of his will conveyed what he wanted her to do. Morrigan’s expression changed as she realized his intent. He released her and turned to Lancelot.
He grabbed the young fey warrior by the back of the neck and asked, “Do you offer your life willingly for hers?”
“I do.” He would spill his own blood right now if required.
Oengus smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t be afraid.” Turning to Merlin, he barked, “Go with them. Nemglan, you know what to do?”
Things moved in slow motion now for Lancelot. He knew he was going to die to save Nimue, and he was all right with that. What would his life have been without her; she was all he had? The four of them rode to a circle of rocks, ancient in origin, a flat rock in the middle…the place where he would die.
They left the horses outside of the circle and entered it on foot. Lancelot paused only for a moment to look at the sky. It was going to be a cold clear day.
Oengus watched all this through Morrigan’s eyes. Sitting on the bed, he removed the boar skin and laid his hand on Nimue’s abdomen. He found death like a tumor in her womb. Concentrating now, he waited.
Lancelot undressed, his bare skin to the slab. He would not be cold long he told himself. Morrigan stood at his head and caressed his cheek. “Do not be afraid, precious,” she said and drew her dagger to lay upon his breast over his heart. “The pain won’t last long,” she promised him and nicked his skin with the edge of the dagger drawing a thick dark ribbon of blood. She coated the dagger with it repeatedly.
She made a second one at his throat. Calling upon an ancient spell, she crabbed his hair and pulled his head back lengthening his throat, making it easier to kill him. But not until Nemglan was ready did anything happen.
Morrigan made sure she could sense Crom Cruach. Oengus deep in the spell watched Morrigan bring down the blade and sent the death charm into the sacrifice.
“It worked,” he told Cair. She smiled. Free of the death charm and wrapped in the healing skin, Nimue awoke to find herself with Oengus and Cair.
“Where is everyone?” she asked and lowered the skin. She was naked.
“We had to do a sacrifice to save you,” Oengus explained
.Before he could explain, Nimue’s eyes widened in horror. “A sacrifice? Who did you kill?” Tears filled her eyes. “Lancelot! You killed Lancelot!”
Oengus did not have to say anything else. The young fey warrior rushed into the room to take Nimue into his arms. “I’m all right,” he assured her.
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.Nemglan, standing beside his father, leaned towards him and said, “We really cut it close.”
“The closer the better,” Oengus replied, smiling at the young lovers. The slayer of thousands was also the protector of lovers.
Morrigan and Merlin stood at the door. “I hope to never have to do another spell like that as long as I live,” he said affectionately.
“Agreed,” Morrigan said. “I’m tired. I think I will go lay down. Coming?”
“ Yes.” Merlin glanced back at Oengus who only waved his fingers at him.
Once he was certain all was well, Oengus took the skin from Nimue but had second thoughts. “Young queen,” he told her. “This has the power to heal the fey. I leave it with you for seven years. Regrettably it has no effect on mortals.” He laid it in her hands.
Incredibly touched, Nimue stared at it a moment and then looked up at Oengus. “Thank you,” she said as he, Cair and Nemglan readied to leave. Oengus was the type of king she hoped to be. She would be a queen to match him.
Nemglan, still the flirt, kissed Nimue on the cheek and said, "Stop by sometime."
"I will," she promised him. When they returned to England, she was certain Morrigan and Nemglan would be the ones she would miss the most.
After they were alone, Lancelot told Nimue about the death spell and how Oengus tricked Crom into thinking that Lancelot was going to die for her. He actually thought he was going to die, but at the last minute as the fire rose, Nemglan switched him with a deer, and it was the deer that was slain. His blood on the knife entered the deer making them one and the same. Crom had no hold over either of them now.
Nimue’s love for Lancelot swelled ten times as they lay facing each other. His wounds were nothing to him, but to her they were proof of his love. She kissed every thin red line on his chest and throat. This was proof no greater proof could exist.She was not ready to make love, but that did not mean she could not touch him, kiss him, taste his skin. Lancelot tried to stop her, but with her lips on his and her hand firmly grasping him he got very quiet. He belonged to her. Nimue’s heart swelled as she played with his beautiful body. And when he spilled into her hand, she kissed his mouth and whispered, “I love you.”