I’m confused as to the sidhe’s motivations in regards to Arthur, specifically comparing 1x07 (the Gates of Avalon) and 3x06 (the Changeling), because in 3x06, it’s established that they’ve had a twenty-plus-year-long plan to get a sidhe to marry Arthur. But in 1x07, they’re perfectly happy to kill Arthur and take his soul?
Merlin seemed to be forming something of a habit, Jada thought as he entered Gaius’ chambers covered in red tomatoes and purple bruises the following day.
Gaius was sat at his table reading, but at the sight of his ward he abandoned the book. “Not again, Merlin, surely?”
“You would think that the appeal of pelting the same person with fruit would wear off after a while,” Merlin said, crossing the room to throw his jacket down, “But, oh no!”
“Fruit?” Jada exclaimed, alarmed at the sight of a particularly large bruise blossoming along his cheekbone. She got up to get a closer look. “Are you sure it wasn’t rocks?”
“Well, fruit and potatoes,” he clarified.
“I heard that Arthur wasn’t at the knighting ceremony,” Gaius said.
Merlin began filling a bowl with water from a nearby pitcher. “Yeah, he wanted to make the most of his time left with Sophia.”
“So you helped him?”
“I’m his servant. I had to.” He started to wash his face and hair again, but Gaius looked grave.
“You shouldn’t have done that, Merlin. I fear that Sophia may not be all that she seems.”
Merlin stopped washing, straightening up with a frown. “Why?”
Gaius rose, approaching the two. “What do you know about seers?”
“Not much. They’re supposed to be able to see the future? Like prophets?”
“It’s said to be an innate ability,” Gaius explained, moving to sit at one of his benches. “Those who have it are born that way. Some aren’t even aware that what they see is the future. It comes to them in their dreams.”
“What’s this got to do with Sophia?” Merlin asked, at the same time the realisation clicked in Jada’s head.
“Morgana…” she breathed.
Gaius nodded. “Morgana had a dream the night before she and Aulfric came to Camelot. Sophia was in it.”
“Before she arrived in Camelot?” Merlin repeated, clearly surprised.
Gaius didn’t answer directly, instead plunging on into his explanation. “I’ve been watching Morgana since she was very young. And though I tried to persuade myself otherwise, I realised that some of the things she said she’d dreamt came to pass.” Intrigued, Merlin sat beside him. “I kept it secret from Uther, of course. The gift of prophecy is too close to the work of magic.”
“You think Morgana is a seer?” Merlin asked.
“I don’t think it. I fear it. Morgana said she dreamt that Sophia killed Arthur.”
Merlin’s eyes widened. “Couldn’t that have just been a dream? Maybe the woman Morgana saw just looked like Sophia.”
“That’s what I hoped. But Aulfric caught me in Sophia’s room and, in a flash of anger, his eyes changed colour.”
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to kill Arthur, does it?” Jada interjected. “Having magic doesn’t automatically make them bad people.”
“No,” Gaius agreed. “But it was not the usual gold that his eyes changed to; it was red.”
“Red?” Jada frowned. What could that mean?
“Who are they?” Merlin asked, his voice low.
“It’s not who they are that worries me,” Gaius replied. “It’s what they want with Arthur.”
“We’ll have to watch them,” Merlin decided. “Find out what it is they want.”
Gaius nodded in agreement. “But you must be careful. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”
“I’ll help,” Jada offered. “Whatever you need.”
Now it was Merlin’s turn to nod. “We’ll start tonight, then, once Sophia comes back from her day with Arthur.”
Jada hadn’t exactly planned for her night to consist of squatting outside Arthur’s chambers with Merlin, tucked just out of sight around the nearest corner, but she supposed that it would at least be more interesting than heading back to her room alone to sleep. Even if nothing happened, spending time with Merlin was never boring, so she settled into the nook he’d selected for their super-secret spy mission and prepared for the long night ahead.
They didn’t have to wait long before the arrival of an elderly, bearded man and a young girl with the rounded, childlike face of a porcelain doll.
“That’s them,” Merlin whispered, hardly daring to raise his voice louder than a breath. Fortunately, the nook had squished them close enough together that his lips were right next to Jada’s ear, her hair stirring only slightly at his whisper.
Sophia had disappeared immediately inside Arthur’s chambers, leaving Aulfric to pace anxiously outside in the hallway. He clutched at a mystical-looking staff as he did so, seemingly made of twisted tree roots that held a large blue gem at the top.
At last, Sophia emerged again, shutting the door quietly behind her and turning to face her father. “He’s ready. Tomorrow he’ll do what we need him to.”
“Good, you have done well,” Aulfric replied. “I must go to the elders.”
He turned with haste and headed off, whilst Sophia began to move in the opposite direction towards Jada and Merlin. Merlin’s hand suddenly came up to cover Jada’s mouth as she passed them, the two of them holding themselves perfectly still for fear of being discovered. As the sound of her footfalls retreated down the hallway, Merlin released Jada, exhaling in a rush.
“Sorry,” he said, voice still hushed.
“No, it’s fine.”
He climbed to his feet quickly, pausing to help pull Jada up. “We have to go after him. Are you coming?”
Jada nodded, and then they were hurrying down the corridor after Aulfric. Jada’s heart was in her throat the entire time as they followed him out of the castle, keeping a cautious distance between themselves and him as he headed out into the forest.
At length, they came to the edge of a lake, where Aulfric finally halted. Merlin and Jada hid themselves behind a tree, peeking around the trunk to watch.
“I seek an audience with the Sidhe elders!” Aulfric announced, seemingly addressing the lake itself. “Not gwithim sar! Dar labran trimshah!”
He raised his staff, and a pale blue glow rose from the water. As Merlin and Jada watched, strange specks of light began to appear in the air, darting this way and that like fireflies.
“What’s happening?” Jada asked, her voice barely more than a murmur.
She felt Merlin’s hand wrap itself around her wrist, and she looked down at it questioningly. As she turned her gaze to his face, she caught the flash of gold, and then time itself began to slow around them. The wind in the branches above was less hurried, the ripples on the water grew lazy, and even Jada’s own heartbeat seemed somehow affected. She looked at Merlin incredulously, but he only smiled before turning his attention back to Aulfric.
The specks above the lake had now slowed down enough for Jada to see that they were not, in fact, fireflies; they were more like tiny blue humanoids with wings. They swirled about in the air, occasionally dipping their toes into the water, and seemed to pay no mind to their summoner.
Once again, Aulfric addressed them. “I come before you to plead for the chance to win passage back to Avalon and a life of immortality!”
At this, one of the beings descended from the sky to float in front of Aulfric’s face, pointing an accusing finger at the man. “Your punishment for killing another Sidhe is a mortal body and a mortal life. You will never be able to return to Avalon.”
Strangely, Aulfric’s voice grew soft. “The crime was mine, not my daughter’s.”
The being was undeterred. “The gates of Avalon remain closed to your daughter unless the soul of a mortal prince be offered up to them.”
“Thank you!” Aulfric cried. “An immortal life for my daughter is all that I desire, so I promise you the soul of the greatest prince of all: Arthur Pendragon!”
The being said nothing more, instead flying away along with the rest of its kind. Aulfric, however, seemed to see this as a success, beginning to cackle maniacally as he watched them go. After a moment, he turned to look behind him into the forest, and in a panic Merlin pushed Jada back behind the tree, pressing the both of them as tight against the trunk as possible so as not to be seen.
Time seemed to lurch back to normality, making Jada’s pulse race even as the rest of her remained frozen, and then Merlin was urging her around the tree as Aulfric’s footsteps approached them.
At last, Merlin stepped back, satisfied now that Aulfric was a safe enough distance away not to spot them.
Jada suddenly found that she could breathe again, and her frozen muscles relaxed as she rubbed a hand across her eyes.
“I think that spell’s messed me up a bit,” she said. “I feel dizzy.”
Merlin attention now switched to her, and he took a concerned step forwards, touching her elbow lightly. “Are you all right? Do you need to sit down?”
“No, I’ll be fine,” she replied. In truth, a quick rest would probably do her good, she thought, but she wasn’t going to be that dramatic about it. “Just give me a minute.”
She put her hands on her waist, stretching her torso and trying to get her breathing back to normal. The pounding in her head was beginning to subside, at least, so after a moment, she nodded. “All right. We’re good to go.”
Dawn had already broken by the time the two made it back to Camelot, heading straight for Gaius’ chambers.
“Avalon!” Gaius gasped once they’d finished explaining all that they’d seen. “What you saw at the lake. It’s Avalon, it must be!”
Merlin frowned, perplexed. “What’s…”
“The land of eternal youth,” Gaius clarified. “Mortals are only supposed to glimpse it the moment before death.”
“Well we’ve seen it, and we’re still here.”
“Extraordinary. What did it look like?”
“Does it matter?” Merlin asked. “They’re going to sacrifice Arthur and we don’t even know who “they” are yet.”
“We do now.” Gaius sat at his desk, pointing at a page in one of his books. Jada and Merlin moved to get a better look, and found the page covered in a squiggly, alien text. “I found writing like this at the top of Aulfric’s staff. It’s Ogham, an ancient script. ‘Abas ocus bithe. Duthectad bithlane.’” He looked at the two of them as he translated. “‘To hold life and death in your hands.’ From the writing on his staff and what the two of you saw at the lake, I’m afraid I’m now certain. We’re dealing with the Sidhe.”
“The ‘she’?” Jada repeated, tasting the unfamiliar word.
“That does not sound like a good thing,” Merlin remarked.
“They’re masters of enchantment,” Gaius said.
Merlin looked at him sharply. “You think Arthur’s been enchanted?”
Gaius gave a grave nod. “Almost certainly. I’m afraid Morgana’s dream is coming true.”
At that moment, a firm knock came at the door, and a guard’s head poked around it. “Prince Arthur has requested an audience with the royal court,” he announced, looking expectantly at Gaius.
Gaius, however, turned to Merlin. “You go. I’m going to stay here and see if I can find out anything else.”
Merlin nodded, and he and Jada headed up to the throne room as the guard headed off to inform other members of the court.
When they arrived, sneaking quietly towards the back of the crowd, they found Arthur already addressing his father, and by his side stood Sophia and Aulfric. Uther himself looked rather relaxed, seated comfortably beside Morgana and looking up at his son from some pages in his hand.
“It cannot have escaped your attention that I and Lady Sophia Tirmawr have grown very close,” Arthur began.
Uther smiled, chuckling slightly. “Not too close, I hope.”
Jada couldn’t see Arthur’s face, but his voice sounded unamused. “We’re in love.”
Uther turned to give Morgana a befuddled expression, though Morgana simply looked horrified as Arthur continued.
“Which is why I come before you today to ask your permission to marry.”
Jada heard Merlin gasp beside her, and when she looked up at him his face was pale. Uther, on the other hand, was looking from Arthur to Sophia and back again. Unexpectedly, he burst into laughter. “I assume you’re joking,” he said, still unable to look serious.
Arthur shook his head. “No. I’m going to marry her.”
“But you only met two days ago.”
“We’re in love.”
“In love?” Uther turned to Morgana. “We had no idea you were such a romantic, had we, Morgana?”
Morgana clenched her jaw, her gaze fixed on Arthur. “No. He’s full of surprises.”
“I’m going to marry her,” Arthur insisted. “I don’t care what either of you think about it.”
At last, Uther’s expression grew dark, a warning clear in his eyes. “I thought you’d come to ask my permission.”
“Out of courtesy, nothing more.” Arthur took Sophia’s hand and turned, heading towards the door.
Looking almost bored about the whole affair, Uther handed his paperwork to the nearest council member. “Guards, door,” he commanded, rising from his throne.
Jada felt the atmosphere in the room shift, and suddenly Uther was every inch a king, his power on display as a warning to his insolent son. Arthur halted, turning back. “You’ve forgotten whose court you’re standing in.”
“You won’t stop me,” Arthur insisted. “If I want to marry her, I will.”
“Arrest Sophia and Aulfric Tirmawr,” the King commanded.
Immediately, several guards stepped forward to seize the two, and it gave Jada a strange swell of satisfaction to see the smug look wiped cleanly off Sophia’s face. Had Uther figured out that Arthur was enchanted?
“What are you doing?” the Prince demanded.
“And inform the executioner his services will be required tomorrow morning.”
“You can’t do this!”
“Yes, I can, and until you show me some respect, I will.”
Arthur hesitated, then after a moment backed down, bowing his head in submission.
“Release them,” Uther commanded. The guards obeyed. “You’ve got your whole life ahead of you.” He held his hand out for his papers again, signalling that the discussion was closed. “Sophia is no doubt your first love, but she certainly won’t be the only one. Enjoy yourself while you can.”
He sat back down on his throne, the tension dissipating, and Arthur bowed his head before leaving the room. Sophia and Aulfric followed, hot on his heels.
“Well, the problem was almost solved,” Jada muttered, turning to Merlin as the crowd of nobles began to disperse.
“Almost,” Merlin agreed. “I’m going to go and talk to him.”
“All right, I’ll see you later. Good luck.”
Jada had returned to her usual position in Gaius’ chambers, though Gaius had not yet found any new information regarding their otherworldly guests. She had offered to help him look through his books, resting her chin on her hand as she flipped through the pages, but the all-nighter that she and Merlin had pulled was beginning to take its toll. Soon, the words were blurring together on the pages, and she could feel her head growing heavier and heavier as she held it…
“He’s gone! Arthur’s gone with her! She’s taken him!”
Jada was startled back to her senses as Morgana came hurtling into the room, her panicked voice preceding her.
Gaius stood, seeming just as startled as Jada, and held his hands out calmly towards Morgana. “Slow down.”
“I know you don’t believe me, but I’m so sure it’s going to happen. My dream’s going to come true.”
“I do believe you,” Gaius replied, his quiet voice a direct contrast to Morgana’s. Jada was doing her best to focus on what was happening, blinking back sleep.
“I’ve got to tell Uther,” Morgana decided.
“You can’t,” Gaius protested.
“I’ve got to do something, if I don’t then Arthur’ll die.”
Arthur. Arthur was in trouble. Why was Arthur in trouble? Ah, Sophia. But Merlin had gone to talk him out of it. Wait… Jada looked around the room. Where was Merlin? It was dark out; he should have been back by now. But if he was with Arthur, and Arthur was in danger…
Gaius seemed to be dealing with other issues, ones that suddenly seemed significantly less important to Jada all of a sudden as she scrambled to her feet. “You can’t tell Uther about your dream. If Uther thinks you’ve got the seers’ power, he’ll charge you with witchcraft.”
Morgana was shaking her head. “I don’t have a choice. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I’d let him die.”
“Wait,” Gaius insisted. “We’ve known each other a long time. You trust me, don’t you?”
Morgana nodded. “Yes, you know I do.”
“Then trust me now. Stay here and don’t say a word to anyone about this.”
“But Arthur-”
Gaius raised a hand to silence her. “I’ll take care of it.”
He began to head towards the door, but Morgana’s shrill voice stopped him. “Where are you going?”
There was a pause, before Gaius replied. “To find someone who can help.”
He gestured again for Morgana to remain where she was, then hurried through the door. Morgana’s wild eyes turned now to Jada, but she only gave her an apologetic look before darting after him.
She caught up to Gaius easily, but he only gave her a quick glance as she appeared beside him, so intent was he on his mission. “You should have stayed with her. I don’t know how long she’ll stay put for.”
“Where’s Merlin?” Jada asked.
“I presumed he was with Arthur. But if Sophia and Aulfric have taken him…” He trailed off, giving a worried look instead. They doubled their pace, heading straight for Arthur’s chambers.
Gaius opened the door when they arrived, and the first thing that Jada saw around him was Merlin slumped against the wall opposite them. She felt her heart stick in her throat, robbing her of her voice, at the same time that Gaius exclaimed, “Merlin!”
The two of them rushed over to Merlin’s side, and Jada’s breath rushed out of her as his eyelashes fluttered against his pale skin.
“What happened to you?” Gaius quizzed, but Merlin only groaned as he stirred. When his eyes opened, they were dazed and unfocused, but his hands reached out for them to help him up. Gaius and Jada took a hand each, guiding him into a more upright position.
“Aulfric… Where’s Arthur?” His searching gaze became frantic. “I have to go after him. What’s that buzzing noise?”
He scrambled unsteadily to his feet, though neither Gaius nor Jada were willing to let go of him just yet as he swayed back and forth.
“Careful, Merlin, you can barely stand up,” Gaius said.
“I have to go,” Merlin insisted, making to leave. Gaius pulled him back.
“You can’t, not in this state. You owe it to your powers that you survived this at all.”
“I’ll be fine, he needs me.” He tried to pull away again, but still Gaius refused to let him go.
“Has that buzzing stopped?”
“Yes.”
“Liar.”
Merlin’s eyes were earnest. “I have to go, Gaius. He’ll die if I don’t.”
If she was as brave as Merlin, Jada thought, she would have offered to go in his place. She would have told him not to worry, because she’d go and bring Arthur back for him. But she was no hero. She didn’t have the slightest idea how to beat the Sidhe, and she didn’t have any magic to put her on equal footing with them. If she went alone, she’d almost certainly be killed. And death was terrifying.
Maybe she and Gaius had more in common than she’d first thought.
Gaius seemed to be having a similar realisation, as he finally let go of Merlin’s arm. “The Sidhe are a vicious people,” he warned. “You must be careful.”
Merlin did his best to straighten up, flashing a lopsided grin. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
He tried to leave, his other arm slipping out of Jada’s hold, but seemed to have mistaken the window for the door.
“Merlin?” Gaius called. Merlin stopped, turning back. Gaius pointed towards the actual door. “This way.”
“Just testing,” Merlin replied as he broke into a jog, disappearing round the corner.
Jada shared a look with Gaius, and then before she had even consciously made the decision, she was running after Merlin. She might not be as brave as him, she decided, but that didn’t mean that she was going to let him risk his life alone.
“Jada?”
She caught up to him as he reached the stairs, and he seemed surprised to see her speeding after him.
“Did you really think I was going to let you go by yourself in this state?” she replied, keeping her tone light. “Come on.”
With Merlin leading, the two of them raced through the city and out into the forest. Jada could feel her lungs burning as her feet pounded against the earth, but she focused all of her energy on keeping step with Merlin’s pace. She wasn’t sure what time it had been when they set out, but as they ran the first rays of sunlight began to creep through the trees.
Suddenly, Merlin tripped, falling flat on the ground with a thud. Jada skidded to a halt and hauled him up again, too out of breath herself to ask if he was all right. Merlin didn’t even pause to dust himself off, however, grabbing Jada by the wrist and breaking back into a sprint as soon as he was upright.
God, how far away was the lake? Jada had assumed that that was where they had taken Arthur, but in the dark the distance had seemed much shorter. Merlin seemed to be having a similar thought, as he slowed to a halt, looking around uncertainly.
“You haven’t forgotten the way,” Jada reprimanded, then immediately felt guilty as she realised that she should have remembered just as much as Merlin.
Merlin flung his arms out helplessly, panting too hard to defend himself.
“Sorry,” Jada apologised, also looking around for anything that seemed even slightly familiar. “Was it this way?”
Merlin looked in the direction she was pointing, though he looked unconvinced. Having no better options, they set off again, desperately hoping that Jada was right.
They began to hear a voice in the distance, the chanting of a man floating to them through the trees. “Dolce nur. Sue ar. Igbeth dolce nur. Anvin. Flatau. Dondiay.”
“Aulfric!” Merlin gasped, grabbing Jada’s arm again and veering off towards the sound of the voice.
They could see the end of the treeline, the lake stretching out before them, and stopped running before they reached it to take in the scene before them. Aulfric was standing at the shore, his staff raised into the air as he chanted, whilst Sophia was waist-deep in the water with her hand stretched out above it, her palm facing downwards. Arthur was nowhere to be seen.
“Diobor colt ogham,” Aulfric continued, his voice resounding across the lake.
With a jolt, Jada realised that they must have already begun the sacrifice, and turned to Merlin in a panic. “What do we do?”
Merlin’s gaze flittered about for a moment, then fell on something at Aulfric’s feet.
“Onbregdan,” he commanded.
Sophia’s staff—seemingly identical to that of her father—flew suddenly through the air towards them, hurtling right into Merlin’s hand. Wasting not a second, he pointed it fiercely towards Aulfric’s back. “Swelt goldbeorht!”
Aulfric turned towards them just as a bolt of lightning forked its way from the end of the staff that Merlin held. He screamed as it struck him, before suddenly exploding into tatters.
Jada felt her muscles freeze again as she watched, but Merlin had no time to spare. Sophia had stopped whatever she was doing at her father’s cry, and was now trying to run back through the water towards them.
“Father!” she cried, but a new terror seized her as Merlin pointed her own staff now towards her. “No! No!”
“Og kelis!” The lightning sprang from the staff again, before Sophia, too, exploded. Still, Merlin did not stop, immediately pulling his jacket off and casting it to the ground. “We have to find Arthur!”
He took Jada by the arm again, forcing her stiff limbs into a run, but as they reached the water’s edge she slammed on the brakes. Merlin’s hand slipped off her as he plunged into the lake, but Jada could not set one foot into the water.
She watched helplessly as he waded deeper, her heart pounding but her muscles frozen in fear.
“Arthur!” he cried, already waist-deep. “Arthur!”
Jada couldn’t tell whether he fell or dove forward, but her heart lurched into her mouth all the same. He stayed down, frantically searching beneath the lake’s surface.
“Arthur!” Merlin looked back to Jada, his voice pleading. “Help me!”
She couldn’t even reply. She opened her mouth, but her voice caught in her throat, and no matter how much she wanted to go to him, her body would not move.
Merlin must have decided that she was a lost cause, tearing his gaze away from her and diving under. An electric shock jolted through Jada as the water closed over his head, and she found that she could move again, but not into the water. She paced at the edge as though that would bring her closer, not once taking her eyes off the spot where Merlin had been.
After too long, Merlin resurfaced, but Jada’s relief was short-lived as he immediately went under again. This time, the seconds seemed to drag by even more slowly, and soon Jada found herself digging her nails into her palms as tears of white-hot anger threatened to spill over.
She was angry at herself, at her complete and utter uselessness, but still she could not force herself to take one step into the water. Merlin needed her, he needed her help, but all she could do was pace at the shoreline like a distressed dog. What if he never resurfaced? What if he drowned out there, and all she could do was watch and pace and clench her fists as the water filled his lungs?
She hadn’t even realised she was biting her lip until she tasted blood, but releasing it seemed impossible for her mind to comprehend. What if Merlin was dying? What if Merlin was dying and he’d asked for her help and she was so utterly, utterly useless and-
Merlin’s dark head burst to the surface, and Jada heard something like a sob escape her chest. He was clutching Arthur round his middle and kicking furiously back towards the shoreline, but the journey seemed to take forever to Jada before he reached the point where he could stand up again.
Ever dutiful, Merlin hauled the Prince out of the lake, but as soon as he was within arms’ reach of dry ground Jada wrapped her arms around him and pulled. They both fell backwards, Arthur landing safely on top of Merlin, who landed securely in Jada's lap, and then she buried her face into his shoulder and burst into tears.
“Jada?” Merlin asked, his confused voice echoing in his chest. Then his attention shifted, his priorities coming into order. “Jada, hang on for one minute while I make sure Arthur’s breathing.”
Jada complied, her shaking arms releasing their grip. Merlin rolled off her, depositing Arthur gently onto the grass while he bent over the Prince and listened for breath. Drawing away, Merlin turned Arthur onto his side, slamming the heel of his hand squarely between Arthur’s shoulder blades multiple times.
Jada dimly wondered whether it would even work with all that chainmail in the way, but then Arthur spluttered and coughed and drew in a long breath. He remained unconscious, and after becoming satisfied that he was no longer going to die, Merlin turned back to Jada.
His eyes were sincere as he regarded her, but Jada couldn’t help feeling a little ridiculous at the concern there. He scooted closer to her, touching his fingertips to her leg in comfort. “Jada, what happened?”
“I’m sorry.” Her trembling was beginning to subside, though it still remained in her hands as she looked down at them. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help. I wanted to, I just…”
“Just, what?” His soft voice made her want to cry all over again.
“I couldn’t. I’m too scared.”
“Scared? Of what?”
She bit her lip again, recoiling at the coppery taste. “Water. I’m scared of water. Fucking terrified, actually.” She gave a shaky laugh and ran a hand through her hair, though she was certain that Merlin wasn’t fooled by it.
“You’re scared of water?” Merlin repeated, seeming confused.
Jada couldn’t bring herself to look at him for long, so it surprised her when she felt his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. She froze for a moment, then wrapped her arms back around him. The shaking returned, along with the tears.
“I thought you were going to die,” she confessed, keeping her voice hushed to try and hide her sobs. “I thought you were going to die and there was nothing I could do.”
“It’s all right,” Merlin soothed, one hand rubbing her back softly. “I’m still here. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”
Jada gave a watery laugh, squeezing him more tightly as if to check that he really was there. Then, she let go, sitting back and wiping her eyes. The water that had dripped from Merlin’s hair and clothes onto her would probably have disguised her tears, but she was sure that her red eyes and blotchy face would be a dead giveaway.
“I’m sorry I’m such a baby,” she said.
“I don’t think you are,” Merlin replied, his hand back on her leg again. “Do you feel any better?”
She nodded, giving him a weak smile. “Thank you.”
He got to his feet, offering his hands to help her up. Jada took them, though her legs still felt wobbly. “Anytime,” he said with a warm smile. His eyes wandered over her again, then he drew her into another hug, squeezing her once before letting go. “Come on, help me get Arthur back to the castle. I’m not sure I can carry him on my own.”
Don't be fucking stupid, okay? You can pull the dumb shit on your own time in your own space just keep it the fuck away from me alright? Okay~
Don't thank the Good Neighbors that help you keep your home clean, don't sweep your porches, keep certain plants growing at the gate and for the love of all holy do not cross Boundaries, do not move Their marking stones, and do not cross Their portals.
What happens to humans who get lost in the Wilds is never a good time. Whatever you THINK you're going to get; a new name, a partner who will never leave you, rid of your old identity, a child, whatever the fuck; WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE is probably a century or three of hell and then literally eaten. Probably before you're actually dead, and potentially you'll be awake to see it happening.
FFS don't be stupid and assume that the Spicy Romance Novels are telling you the truth. It's not a funny "escape from capitalism" meme anymore. At BEST you'll be lost in the woods, probably get dehydrated, and sprain an ankle or catch something from improperly filtered water. At WORST?
Do your own research on "worst." And remember what the Good Neighbors share the land with: All the cultures that came before our immigrant ancestors walked these woods and hollows.
Tch'yeah. It ain't just the Good Folk you've got to keep an eye for. It's Indigenous critters and spirits. It's things that you should never speak the name of, if you know them. It's knowing never to whistle at night or look out your windows after dark because you will NEVER like what you see.
Do the research. Know whose lands you're squatting on. Be respectful.
Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. Keep your eyes on the trail in front of your feet if you find yourself going in circles, don't listen to whatever is calling in the deep wood, turn your shirt inside out, and pray. Whatever gods' you've got might listen. Hope that the Folk in the wild places don't hear you first.
If ANY of you are looking into interacting with the fae (they are most prevalent rn in discussions) during this time, I urge you to PLEASE be cautious. These are incredibly powerful beings.
Learn the Irish lore. The ACTUAL Irish lore, and learn about the different species of fae as well. Do not buy into Wiccan depictions and discussions of them. The fae are NOT super friendly little disney faeries and pixies. They can be very dangerous and can straight up kill you.
I will not state they are all like this. Much like any species, there are good ones. I have personally interacted with some species of them that are friendly, but you still need to take extreme caution. Many are tricksters. They arent evil, but simply neutral. They are nature. Yall need to understand their rules and things are completely different than ours. Their culture is different than ours.
Best bet is to just offer them trinkets or milk and honey with flowers if you do want to offer something, but do not walk into fairy rings, do not go out looking for them without any knowledge and do not expect them to be warm and lovely. I'd urge to just leave them be unless your 100% ready.
If you have had good experiences with them, great, but there are plenty who can attest that many fae straight up do not like humans and are dangerous. Proceed with caution. They can be very easily offended.
Grimalkin (also spelled a Greymalkin) is an archaic term that was often used to describe cats; particularly haggard, female cats. The term stems from the color “grey" and the archaic word "malkin", which was a term with various meanings and was derived from a hypocoristic form of the given name Maud. Debate surrounds the etymological evolution of the term from woman to cat, but regardless, Grimalkin eventually came to be referenced in Scottish legend as a Faerie Cat that prowled the highlands. Though mythological sources are scarce, The Grimalkin is consistently identified with the Cat Sìth (or Cat Sidhe) of Celtic folklore, and is generally represented as a demon or shapeshifter. In line with Celtic Faerie-lore, Grimalkin is described as a Spectral Cat the size of a wolf or horse, who stalks the Scottish hills and moors.
According to legend, the Cat Sìth is said to appear as a large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Further cementing the role of Grimalkin as a ferocious Faerie of the Cat Sìth is the fact that virtually all Scottish legends surrounding the beings make reference to their size, ferocity, and propensity for the highlands. Some of the more common folklore suggested that the Cat Sìth was not a faerie at all, but, in fact, a witch who could transform into a feline guise nine times. The tales indicate that, while a witch could transform freely between her humanoid and feline forms, she had only eight opportunities to do so; if she were to transform a ninth time, she would be doomed to spend the rest of her days as a cat. It is believed by some that the idea of a cat having nine lives originated with this folkloric concept.
As with the dangerous reputation of the Grimalkin, the people of the Scottish Highlands were often untrusting of the Cat Sìth. This was largely, in part, because it was believed that a Cat Sìth was able steal a person's soul before it could be claimed by the gods, needing only to pass over a corpse before burial to claim the soul for its own. Therefore, protective watches called the Feill Fadalach (Late Wake) were performed through both night and day, in order to keep at bay any Cat Sìth that might appear to claim a person’s spirit. Methods of "distraction" were frequently employed to keep the Cat Sìth away from the room that housed the body of the deceased, such as games of leaping and wrestling, offerings of catnip, musical performance, and the telling of riddles. Aditionally, no fires were to be lit in the vicinity of the body, as it was widely believed that, much like mundane cats, the Cat Sìth were attracted to the warmth. Even though most folk in the region were distrusting of the Cat Sìth, certain rites were to be performed in their honor. On Samhain, for instance, it was said that a Cat Sìth would bestow blessings upon any house that left out a saucer of milk for it to drink. Those who did not leave offerings of milk, however, were at risk of being cursed by the Sìth with scarcity; particularly in the form of their cows’ milk running dry. Contrasted with their menacing reputation throughout the Scottish highlands, one of the less daunting accounts the Faerie Cat can be found in the British folktale “The King of the Cats.” In it, a man comes home to his wife and housecat, Old Tom, and explains enthusiastically that he had seen nine black cats with white spots on their chests carrying a coffin topped with a crown. The man relays that one of the cats told him to "Tell Tom Tildrum that Tim Toldrum is dead." The cat then exclaims, "What?! Old Tim dead! Then I'm the King o' the Cats!" before climbing up the chimney to never be seen again. It would seem, then, that the vast majority of the tales regarding the Cat Sìth which might lend themselves to the figure of Grimalkin arose in Scottish folklore.
Another practice related to the Cat Sìth, which illustrates certain connections to the Grimalkin, is the grizzly ceremony that was known as the Taghairm. Sometimes translates as "spirit echo," the Taghairm was an ancient Scottish method of divination reviled throughout much of the Hebrides. The defined requirements of the ceremony varied, but always involved the torture of animals or people, and sometimes included animal sacrifice. One variation of the Taghairm, aiming to raise the Devil for the sake of fulfilling dark wishes, called for the roasting of live cats, one after the other, for several days without eating or sleeping. This was said to summon a horde of shrieking devils who appeared as black cats, with their master at their helm. Another version of the ritual was said to summon a Great Demonic Cat known as “Mòra Cluasan” (Big Ears,) who would answer any question and grant any wish of the summoner. Both these variations on the Hebridean ceremony make reference to a mighty demonic cat, vicious even amongst the Cat Sìth, which ties in clearly to multiple aspects of the figure known as Grimalkin.
While reading a Norse magical text, I once came across multiple references to Grimalkin, or Grimalkyn, in Scandinavian mythology and folklore. However, I have not been able to find any source to corroborate that mythological connection as of yet.
