Disclaimer: I don't own Aquaman or BBC Merlin, their characters, storylines or related films, comics and novelizations set in the corresponding universes. The franchises are property of DC Comics and BBC One/Shine Limited, and they were created by Mort Weisinger, Paul Norris and Julian Jones, et al., respectively. I am only borrowing them for the purpose of nonprofit expression of personal creative ideas in the same settings.
Summary: Uther Pendragon never imagined the turn his life would take when he decided to rescue the beautiful mermaid that washed up on his shores. But, even after looking back at all the pain and loneliness that followed, he would never regret that day. Not for anything in the world. YgraineUther, Hints of Merthur.
Author's Notes: This is a short side story to Warden (Of The Land), Primal (Of The Sea), set before the events of the main fic and ending at Chapter 4: Road To Tintagel City. This three parts fic will be finished before the main story's next update.
Chapter 1: Encounter
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Uther Pendragon was a respectable member of the town.
He really was.
Amnesty Bay was a small, tight community, overlooking the coast at the edge of the North Atlantic ocean. No matter how long someone spent living there after moving from inland - or anywhere else -, that very same community would always consider them newcomers, unless they were actually born there.
And the Pendragons were a long line of fishermen and minders of the lighthouse, that it could be said they had been there since the founding of the town. Very respectable, truly… until they fell from grace.
Bunch of bigoted, ignorant and intolerant bunch, mused Uther. That topic always set his blood on fire and made him temporarily forget his way with words.
He was very proud of his literary education. But he digressed.
Regardless, the point of it all was that, despite what old Mrs Willis thought or bandied about to everyone by way of gossip, Uther was very responsible, capable and not at all a shame to his family or neighborhood.
It was not as if moving back to his childhood home meant he did so in disgrace. His time spent in college, studying the great literary works of both classic and modern times as well as double majoring in history, was a success! He had graduated and, with the help of some friends, proceeded to travel the world with his meager savings.
It was the best time of his life.
That was, until Constans called. Their father had passed away during a quiet night and the family was going to gather for the funeral.
That had been a disaster. And a laugh.
Uncles, aunts and cousins had shown up and, in the same day, turned around to leave. The Pendragon Lighthouse was a big name in the area, but that did not mean much wealth or prosperity.
That was the reason why both his elder brothers had left the place behind to pursue more lucrative businesses elsewhere. Uther had stayed with his father the longest, until he had insisted that the young man take his books and his smarts, and set out to be better.
Uther had loved his father, and mourned him deeply still.
When it came time to decide who would inherit the lighthouse, the only thing the main family had of any real value, Uther fought tooth and nail for it.
Aurelius cared not for the place, content with his hollywood jobs and utterly uninterested on anyone finding out his origins.
Constans was more practical. His cushy, law firm office career was taking off but he wanted to increase his savings. Selling the lighthouse and dividing the earnings between the siblings had been his goal.
Uther firmly refused.
In the end, he had won, if only because Constantine had left a will where the deed of the property had been granted to his youngest son.
His brothers left, grumbling but not caring enough to be disappointed, and suddenly Uther was the owner of a seabed tower that was still very important for the region. He had no idea what to do with it.
Their family had been long time owners, yes, but even though Uther loved the place, he had never wanted to learn how to manage it.
His interests had always leaned more towards history and literature, by virtue of their name. The Arthurian legends were so important to their family, and so intrinsically tangled with their background, that he had studied both. He cared more about their naming traditions and the relationship between myth and reality, that he had neglected their actual family business.
He had no choice now.
When he settled back home, the town had burst into gossip, vaguely commiserating and highly judging.
They had always looked down on those that left to 'make it big'. Constantine having passed on meant that no one proper, upright or respectable from the family was left to care for their community beacon.
Uther sighed.
The groceries on hand were heavy but manageable. He entered the house, trying to forget the town folk's attitudes in lieu of putting away his purchases. A window panel banged hard against a wall, and he noted the darkened sky.
The storm had come out of nowhere.
Wanting to keep busy, he put on his overalls, jacket and hat, and went out to secure his windows and doors. Then, he approached the lighthouse to check that its panels were locked tight, when the rain started.
It pelted down heavily so Uther hurried.
Once done, he was about to head back inside the house when a silver gleam among the nearby rocky shore caught his attention.
Amidst the rough waves crashing against the edge of the dock and the rock-strewn beach, a figure laid slumped and half-submerged.
Uther almost dropped his lantern.
The wind blew harder and the sea rose up in turbulence, but he still dared to get closer to the person. They seemed hurt, laying there unmoving and-
It was a woman.
Tangled long golden hair, half on the rocks and half on the sea, tossed around with the tempest. Her delicate features were marred by the heavy frown on her brow, and the painfully red gash on the side of her temple. Her chest, clad in a glittering tight body suit, looked unmoving.
Uther snapped out of it when a wave threatened to trip him. Lightning and thunder crashed overhead, so he hurried to the lady and took her in his arms.
Unconcerned with both leaving his lantern behind or the fact that he was getting soaked, Uther stepped carefully over the rocks until he reached the docks. Hoisting the lady higher, he noticed the staff she clutched in one hand tightly, but ignored it in favor of getting to the house.
They burst in. He put her down on the dining table and hastened to close the door. Then, Uther returned to check that his guest was breathing, but the moment he laid a hand on the staff - wait, it was actually a trident? - the lady's eyes snapped open.
She snarled.
The beautiful face turned dangerously feral as she twisted in place and dropped to the floor. She coughed harshly while she tried to regain her balance. Uther stepped in to help but immediately jumped back when the sharp points of her weapon turned on him.
"Woah, wait a moment-"
"Y-you will not take me easil-" her hoarse voice choked on the last word, as her lungs seized for breath.
"Easy!" Uther yelled, struggling to keep his hands up and splayed in a gesture of defenselessness. He was unarmed after all. "Easy…" he said again, lower, calmer, and the lady tried to breathe deeper while clutching her trident.
Abruptly, she slammed the butt of her weapon on the floor, digging it in and using it to support herself. She raised her head and glared angrily at Uther.
… Who could not help but think her fiercely beautiful.
He cleared his throat. "I-I was just trying to help. You were unconscious, slumped over the rocks near my docks and I was afraid you would drown…"
Having said that, Uther's eyes roved over the lady's figure helplessly. She was petite, svelte and muscular. The tightness of the suit over her arms and thighs attested to that. Unnoticed before were the braids holding back the upper half of her hair and the delicate silver coronet keeping her forehead clear.
Uther swallowed heavily as she seemed to calm down. Her tense figure relaxed with the passing of time.
Strangely, he felt as if he could wait an eternity for her, if it was necessary.
She wavered for a second before her legs gave out. Uther threw himself across the space between them to catch her. He fell painfully on his knees but had managed to hug her close and pull her to his lap.
She was still awake. Her dazed eyes looked up at him, blinking sleepily, as her head lolled to his shoulder. Uther swallowed again.
Her hand still clutched the weapon which stayed upright. Uther took the risk of lightly touching his hand to hers, silently asking her to relax.
There was a pause.
The lady released a sigh that unwound her whole body. Her hand dropped from the trident but Uther caught it and placed it on her belly. He gathered her close, put an arm under her knees and stood up.
She hummed under her breath.
Uther walked slowly to the sofa, depositing her gently on it. She did not react, merely blinking at him some more.
Gosh but she was adorable.
Nervously, he scrambled around the place, straightening what he could, bringing her a blanket, clearing his table. All the while, he gave a wide berth to the trident, not wanting to upset her like before.
When all was said and done, he walked up to her again with a first aid kit. She remained unmoving, eyeing him curiously.
"W-would you like me to treat your wound?" The awkward break in his voice made him flush before he noticed that she was looking at him in confusion. He gestured to his temple and then hers.
She explored her face after seeing that, and hissed when she touched the open gash. It was not bleeding as hard anymore yet her eyes darkened at seeing her reddened fingers.
He cleared his throat again, psyched himself up, and sat down to treat her.
His thoughts whirled in his head.
Her strange clothing. Her unnaturally gorgeous features. Her obvious strength in spite of her deceptively small shape. There had been an accent and clumsiness in her words too, earlier, like she had struggled to speak in English and only did so because he spoke it first.
Having finished, he closed the kit which sounded loud in the very silent room. Outside, the storm had abated.
"Ygraine," She said to him in a clear and soft voice. He startled and gaped at her, so unattractively that she huffed in amusement. "My name is Ygraine."
"Oh! Well, I'm Uther, yes," He coughed to clear the knot in his throat. "Uther Pendragon. Nice to meet you."
She nodded regally. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Pendragon. For heroically risking your life in the service of my own, I swear that the line of Queen Ygraine of Atlantis will forever hold a debt to you."
He gaped, again.
"Q-Queen?"
"That is correct. What is your position in this surface kingdom?"
"Position? I guess you could say I'm the keeper of this lighthouse."
She smiled and suddenly there seemed to be no air in the room. "You must be very skilled then. A Keeper is a challenging job."
"Ah… you think so?"
She nodded again, but her quirked lips held a mischievous hint. "Indeed. There are Keepers of secrets, treasures, knowledge and prophecy. Which is it that you hold, in this lighthouse of yours?"
Uther thought about it before shrugging. "The tower lights the way for ships and other travelers to dock safely."
Her deep blue eyes widened in wonder. "You offer safe passage. What a truly wondrous job!"
He couldn't help it. Uther laughed, loud and free. Her bearing alluded to an Inhuman nature but her naive self was refreshingly amusing.
His very own mermaid.
A tinkling, melodious laughter matched his. Ygraine tried to contain it behind her hand, but every once in a while a low snort could be heard.
Uther was charmed. This felt meant to be.
His day started horribly, with a reminder of his father's death, his brothers' uncaring attitudes and the town's disparaging commentary. Now, it seemed like it would end on a high note, with an otherworldly guest sitting cozily in his living room.
~ End Chapter 1 ~