A/N: This story is going to be where I dump any prompt fills I get for the selkie!AU The Seal Man of North Ronaldsay that I get when I open prompts on tumblr. There's a couple more coming, but I just wanted to make sure I had more than one prompt before posting, hence the wait.

This fill addresses the following prompt: "Sjeh Mither appears in human guise one day to give her blessings to baby Terra, and maybe even hint at what sorts of "gifts" the little one may have."

The Seal Man of North Ronaldsay Prompt Fills

Chapter One: Another Gift

The sounds of Terra shrieking in laughter as she splashed in the water eased Clara as she sat along the beach reading her book. It was the weekend in September, not long after she started her new position at the primary school, and things were going well. She would leave Terra at home with Ian, coming home for her lunch hour, and would be greeted at the door to the school at the end of the day by husband and bairn. Glancing over the top of the book, she indulgently watched her six-month-old daughter stomp about in the waves, Ian holding her up by the arms. He was so good with her that she had no qualms about returning to her teaching career, turning the ages-old fae into a stay-at-home dad.

"Clara! She's going to be a natural in the water!" Ian beamed at her. With his windblown hair and rolled up trouser legs, he seemed as though he was having the time of his life.

"Make sure she has a pair of flippers first, then we'll talk," she replied. While she looked back at the pages, Ian took Terra into his arms and carried her over to her mother, placing the baby in her lap. Terra's pudgy baby-legs were still soaked in water, causing Clara to shudder. "Ian, you arse, are you sure it's okay to keep her in temperatures this cold?"

"It's perfectly safe," he grinned. The selkie leaned down and after kissing his daughter's crown, he kissed his wife on the lips, long and slow.

Suddenly, a flock of sheep began to charge down the beach towards them. They were bleating loudly, causing Ian to growl against Clara's mouth in irritation before turning to yell at them.

"If I've told you kelp-monsters once, I've told you a dozen times: not while I'm having family time!" he shouted. Instead of surrounding the family in excitement, they all stood by the water's edge, waiting on the bulge that was headed towards them. Out of the ocean came Sjeh Mither, regarding the excited flock with warm greetings.

Once she was done petting the sheep, the spirit walked over towards the Morlos, smiling at them fondly. "So this is the babe who was born to you while I was teaching my brother's pet a lesson."

"Yes, Mither," Ian replied. He bowed deeply, hand perpendicular to his chest, and took Terra in his arms so that Clara could stand and do the same. Once Terra was back in her mother's arms, Sjeh Mither approached the girl and crouched down, inspecting her wide pale eyes and tufts of brown hair.

"So beautiful," she said, placing her finger in Terra's hand.

"Thank you, ma'am," Clara replied. "She looks like her father."

"Her eyes are shaped like yours, mortal daughter," Mither chuckled. "A soul like yours as well—loving and charming… one that shall break many hearts without a single malicious act."

Clara simply nodded at that, knowing it was best to not argue whatever Mither found. "Would you like to hold her?"

"I would love to."

After a kiss on the cheek from her mother, Terra was passed to Sjeh Mither. The spirit stood upright, which made the baby tremble and quickly look around with confusion. Her parents were not doing anything but watching, which was the only reason why she did not cry.

"You are well-behaved, hybrid child," the spirit cooed. Terra put a hand against the woman's grey face and marveled, having never seen a person like that before. She babbled in intrigue, which only made Mither laugh. "Silly one—my hair should have kelp in it. My hair is kelp." Terra babbled some more, causing her father's ears to turn pink.

"Pup, that is not the way you speak in front of Mither," he mumbled. Sjeh Mither shook her head instead before leaving a gentle peck on the baby's brow.

"She is young, and a child of two worlds," she explained. "The hybrid child has time yet to learn all there is about her heritages. We cannot fault her."

Ian breathed a small sigh of relief while holding in his amazement. His daughter was given a kiss by Sjeh Mither as well, meaning his entire family was now protected by her magic. He was unsure what he had done to deserve such a gift—life with his wife and daughter seemed gift enough in his book.

"I wanted so see the babe before I went on my way to other seas; I have a great interest in her," Mither continued. "She is a fine lass and will be strong and at home in the seas." A sheep let out a questioning bleat, catching her attention. "Yes, she will be kinder to you than her father—she never fought you for a spot on a rock for sunbathing."

Ian's ears turned even redder as Clara held back a snicker. "Mither, may I ask a question?"

"Yes; what is it, selkie son?"

"Is my daughter… like me?" he wondered. "I mean, is she a fae or is she human like her mother?"

"The hybrid child is precisely that," she replied, bending down to put Terra in his arms. "Until we meet again, selkie son, mortal daughter, hybrid child." The spirit then returned to the sea, causing forlorn bleating to come from the small flock still standing in the wet sand.

"Ian…?"

"Yes, Clara?"

"Did the Sjeh Mither just put our daughter under her protection because she's 'interested' in her?"

"That's what it seems like."

"…and that we weren't given a straight answer whether or not our child is a human or fae?"

"Well now, that's a standard fae answer," Ian defended. He held their daughter close, ignoring her babbling questions. "I think you should be happy you get a straight answer out of me at all."

"Uh-huh, sure," Clara scowled, snatching Terra away. "I think you should go inside and start making dinner while the baby has Mummy Time."

Ian didn't protest, but instead slunk away, kicking some sand in the direction of a couple sheep in the process. After he went over the seawall and the sound of the door shutting reached her ears, Clara sat back down with her book, laying Terra across her so that they were chest-to-chest.

"Your father's family is an odd one," she told the child. Terra cooed in agreement and snuggled between her mother's breasts, comfortable and happy.