"It was a bright blue day...No, that sounds stupid, it's always blue down here." A young boy sighed. He cast his gaze upwards to the surface of the sea, where all his dreams lay. He was no ordinary boy after all, he was a Merman, an important one at that, for he was the son of King Balinor, Ruler of the Seven Seas, Emperor of the Oceans, making this young boy the Prince, which to be honest, scared the seashells out of him.

"What ever are you doing Merlin?" A voice came out of nowhere. Merlin sighed and turned around to face his best friend Lance, a small yellow and blue fish.

"Nothing. As always. I was trying to think of a way to describe this place, but I can't think of anything nice to say... This place is always blue, what else can I say?" Lance patted Merlin on the arm with his fin, saddened by the young Merman's attitude. "You know what? I sometimes wish that I knew what it was like up there." Lance gasped and recoiled in horror.

"You can't say that! What if your father heard you? You know he hates the Upper Beings with a passion, according to him they're Barbarians!"

Merlin looked up sorrowfully. "But how do we know that? He's never even spoken to a surface dweller!"

Lance sighed, "I can't say I know the answers to this, but we'd better get you back before the performance starts, or else you're going to be in so much trouble."

Merlin's eyes widened at the reminder of his debut, and began to rush about, flipping his tail faster than he had ever done before, anxious to make it on time.

"Merlin!" A loud voice boomed from across the hall. "You're late again! How dare you make an embarrassment out of me in front of our subjects!"

Merlin winced as he floated into the Great Hall where his father was waiting for him. "I'm sorry Father, I was exploring and then I lost track of time, it won't happen again."

King Balinor sighed as he surveyed his son. "Merlin," he started, more gently this time, "you are my son, and as my son, there are some things that you must adhere to. You are also the first in a long time to possess the magic of the Sea Dragon, and it is your duty to prove to the Merfolk that you will protect them at all costs, by introducing them to your gifts. That was what today was all about, you let your people down! Go to your room while I think about how to treat this insubordination."

Merlin sighed and swum up to his room, his bright blue tail flipping dejectedly.

Balinor looked towards his advisor, a crab, "Gaius, what should I do? No matter how many times I punish him, he is still irresponsible."

"Well sire, I don't think there is much you can do. You must let him discover his powers on his own, for only then will he truly understand the responsibility he has towards you and Antarctica."

Balinor nodded slowly. "Very well. Gaius, you will watch over him and report back to me his every move."

Gaius gaped at his King. This was not what he had expected, and frankly, he was a little bit insulted. "As you wish sire, I will follow him immediately." Gaius retreated, muttering under his breath something about being a qualified advisor, not a babysitter.

Merlin looked around his bare room, before gazing towards the distorted view of the land above. Making his mind up, he propelled himself forwards, closer to the world he longed to know. "Merlin! What are you doing?" Lance cried, swimming frantically behind him.

"I'm going to see what it's like closer to land! It's an adventure Lance, let's just enjoy it!" Merlin cried, spinning through the water. Eventually his head broke through the surface and he gasped as he took in a breath of air.

Everything looked so differently, the surface dwellers were moving in a different way, using two limbs that Merlin did not possess. Legs? They were walking, Merlin recalled from his lessons with Gwaine, a scatty seagull.

"Ahoy there Merlin!" said seagull screeched from above his head. "What are you doing so far away from home, and so near to the shore?"

"He's done it again," Lance muttered, "he's left the Palace without telling anyone. Oh the King will be furious when he finds out!"

Merlin grinned. "I just had to see what they were like up close, these Hu Mans? I wanted to see whether what father said was rue, but they don't look like Barbarians..."

Gwaine cocked his head to the side and half smirked (an impressive feat for a bird), "They're not Barbarians! They're celebrating the arrival of the King and his son, look! That's their ship way out in the distance!"

Merlin turned around and grinned as he saw a great ship getting closer and closer. Now, being the curious free spirit that he is, Merlin decided to swim closer and get a good look at the humans on board.

There was loud music playing as Merlin hauled himself onto the deck, hiding close to the exit, just watching in amazement as the entire crew danced along to the music. A grin spread across his face as he watched the pure joy on each of these men's face become evident.

His gaze was eventually drawn to a young man sitting on a barrel, petting some kind of furry thing. Merlin's breath was taken away at the sheer beauty that was this man. He had blonde wavy hair that fell naturally across his stormy blue eyes, a tall figure with a toned body to match. Merlin felt his heart pick up as he continued to watch him.

"That's Prince Arthur," Gwaine said loudly into his ear, following the direction of his gaze, "and that's his pet dog, Max. That man bent over the side? That's his father King Uther. He's never really been one for sea travel."

Merlin raised an eyebrow at how much Gwaine knew about the Prince, before ducking down as the Prince and his father walked closer to his hiding place.

"Arthur, the whole reason of this journey was so you could find a husband or wife. When will you choose someone and settle down?" Uther asked his son exasperatedly.

Arthur looked up, "Father, you know where I stand on this, I want to marry for love, and not for any other reason. When I find them, that is when I will announce my marriage."

Uther sighed as he watched his son stare up into the sky, watching the fireworks that had been set off.

Merlin also watched in awe as the fireworks illuminated the contours of the young Prince's face, wishing that he could do the same. Holding out his palm, he focussed his energy into recreating the bright lights he had just seen. "Soilse doiteain." His eyes glowed gold, and sparks of every colour flew into the sky, creating an even more beautiful effect than the fireworks before. Merlin let out a childish laugh before throwing himself into the water, as the Prince turned around, trying to find the source of the laughter.

As Merlin began to swim back to his Palace, he heard a panicked shout. Turning around he screamed as he saw the ship he was previously on go up in flames. He swam towards the burning wreck, anxious to find his Prince, wanting to make sure that he was okay. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of blonde before it disappeared into the murky depths of the sea.