Hey!
Sooooo, I've never written a Merlin fanfic before, and overall this is the first fanfic I have ever published on this site.
And I know theres no Merlin or Athur or anything like that in this chapter, but if ya'll like this story then in the next chapter characters you'll recognise will start to surface and by chapter 3 there will definatley be Merlin and Arthur. Promise XD
Disclaimer: If I really owned Merlin then Arthur would know about his magic by now...
So, on with the show...
Prologue:
Somewhere in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, amidst the crashing of waves and the whirling of the wind, a castle grew from the seabed, rising from the bottom of the water. Its rough stone walls were covered in seaweed and shells, turrets twirled together gracefully and stretched high into the murky sea. It had no windows and no doors, for these were useless to its inhabitants. The very structure was untouched by time itself for time was oblivious to its existence – as was the rest of the world, both below and above the sea.
Inside this castle – the Castle of Dduwiau y Môr – lived an ancient race, a race that controlled the very waters of the Earth. As time evolves they'll become known as the Merfolk, mermaids or mermen, sirens and enchanters of the sea. But for now that is not the case, for now no one knows of their existence, or of their great power. Perhaps that is best.
These creatures, which were swallowed up by time itself, are ageless, unable to die, immortal. They are trapped in their own fortress, and imprisoned in their own power.
Outside the castle, in the world of time and life, the sun was glaring down high in the sky and the wind whipped a playful foam from the sea. But inside the castle not much had changed. Tapestries woven at the beginning of the Earth still hung perfectly and pristinely on the walls, orbs of light still shone a brightness into the darkest corners of the castle, furniture that should have crumbled with the weight of life still stood to attention in every room of Dduwiau y Môr. The King of Waters still sat firmly upon his throne.
Outside the Castle, his great power had already been felt. First by the Ancient Greeks, then by the Ancient Romans, he had been known by many names, first Poseidon then Neptune, and far into the future would many more names come to pass. But his real name was Galorian, though eventually even that name would be suffocated by the world.
Inside the Castle though things were ran as they had always been, in a way borrowed from the classical hierarchical system of the world above. The King had only two children, one boy and one girl, both mothered by women from the world above and not from his wife. Not that she much cared. Immortality dulls a love that was never strong in the first place. Galorian's children were called Calisto and Aurelian, both were bought to the Castle once they were of age and they began their immortal lives there.
But there were never any more children. They were conceived in a time the creatures referred to as 'The Golden age', where they were allowed to roam free amongst the world of the humans and the living. But that time had long passed, for the wars between the ancient magic's had begun and the King had ordered their retreat. Had ordered their isolation. Had ordered their doom. Neither Calisto nor Aurelian remembered much of their life before Dduwiau y Môr.
Calisto was the first to be bought to the castle, mothered by a women called Diona for the first eighteen years of her life in the time of the ancient Greeks. Headstrong and alienated from her father for his decision to trap them all she was his most prominent opposition. Aurelian was next, however he came almost a century later, born and mothered in ancient Rome. More accepting of his father he often found himself in the middle of the arguments that were fought between Calisto and the King, which were frequent. It is amidst one of those arguments that our story begins...
Calisto ghosted down the corridors towards the throne room of the Castle. She ghosted for her feet did not touch the ground, her presence more ethereal than physical. Her long, waist length black hair spun from her head in curls and her bright green eyes shone like beacons in the darkness, her golden dress floating softly in the water. Her brother, Aurelian, was not far behind, the same unruly curly hair as his sisters (though a lot shorter) and the same piercing green eyes.
"Calisto, please" He was begging, "Do not do this"
The girl sighed in annoyance, "Aurelian, I must, do you not want to know the joys of life, live as we once did, laugh as we once did?"
"Of course!" Aurelian pushed past his sister and blocked the door into the throne room, "But this is not the way to pursue this matter!"
"The King leaves me little choice" The immortal glared, "Now move Brother, before I make you" Her eyes crackled in the gloom of the corridor and Aurelian felt the power of his older sister. He sighed and moved to let her through.
The King looked up from the maps he had been viewing as the doors to his throne room were pushed open. Before Calisto had even fully stepped into the room he felt the beginnings of an argument stir in the waters around him. Why did she have to make it so difficult?
"My Daughter" He greeted.
"Father" She acknowledged coldly, she felt her brother step in silently behind her.
"And Aurelian, to what do I owe this pleasure?" The King questioned, folding up a map on his lap and handing it to the Mapmaker.
"Father there is a matter I wish to discuss with you" Calisto stated.
"You mean a matter you wish to argue with me" The King countered.
Aurelian hovered hesitantly around the edges of the throne room, his eyes flickering between his sister and his father, ready to mediate when it was necessary. Which it would be. Very soon.
Calisto narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, rising slightly in the water, "Father" She paused and forced herself to glide closer to the seabed, "My King" She gritted her teeth, "It is a matter of extreme delicacy, but I feel that I need to voice my feelings now"
The King leaned back into his throne, "Then voice your feelings daughter"
"How long have we been trapped down here? Years? Decades? Centuries?" Calisto sighed, "How much has the world changed since you, we, pulled ourselves from the wars. They must be over by now father! So why are we still down here?"
The King narrowed his eyes, "We are down here for our own protection!"
"But we are trained warriors father! Immortals by the ancient rules of the old religion, and we sit down here like... like..."
"Like?" Calisto's father raised himself in his throne, power crackling in his eyes, servants bowed away; Aurelian stepped further into the room, wringing his hands together.
The immortal child lifted her chin in defiance, "Like cowards" She spat.
The King stood up sharply, "Hold your tongue girl!"
"Father please" Aurelian begged, stepping closer to the arguing pair.
"Not now Aurelian" Galorian snapped, turning his attention back to his daughter, "This castle keeps us safe, safe from the harm the world above has caused us! Down here we are happy, we are content"
"No!" Calisto hissed, "We are isolated, consumed by our own fear of life itself! I am not happy father! I may live forever but I am dead inside!"
"Then what do you want from me?" The King all but yelled.
"To be free father!" His daughter shouted.
"Stop talking in riddles girl"
"I want to live a normal life!" Calisto cried, "I want to be allowed to leave this prison and walk on the ground above"
"Do not be absurd child!" The King growled, "Who would protect you? That world would crush you and kill your spirit! You are my only daughter and I will not allow it!"
"I can look after myself father!" Calisto screamed, tears welling in her eyes, "It's what we've been trained for, remember? All of us here are warriors, the best of the best, prepared to fight and die for our cause! Why can't you let me go?"
"You are no longer a warrior! You are my daughter, and my word is final, you will stay down here with the rest of your kind – the world is dangerous Calisto, take it from someone who knows!" The king sat back down rigidly in his throne and glared at his daughter.
Calisto returned the stare for a moment before turning angrily on her heal and storming out of the throne room.
"Father" Came Aurelian's quiet voice.
"What" Galorian snapped.
"Maybe Calisto should be given a chance" The immortal son whispered.
"I'm sorry?" The King spluttered, he was used to his son taking his side a lot more than his daughters.
"My Lord" Aurelian bowed respectfully, "You have not seen Calisto the way I have, she does not prosper down here, she is a free spirit, and trapping her, it really is killing her father, maybe she should be allowed, just for a few years"
The King narrowed his eyes at his son, "What is this?"
"Nothing My King" His son bowed once more, "But should my sister not learn from her own mistakes?"
The King pursed his lips, "But Calisto is immortal, her agelessness would raise a few eyebrows do you not think?"
"Sire" Aurelian smiled, "We both know you possess the power of the Hudoliaeth, it would be easy to bend the perceptions of the humans"
The King sighed and looked towards the doors of the throne room, "Do you think it's a good idea?"
"My Lord, Calisto will not rest until she has achieved her wish, why are you so against letting her go?"
"Oh Aurelian, you and she are my only children, I do not wish for anything harmful to happen to either of you, the world up there, it is dangerous"
"Father, you have taught us well, you must trust that the mortal Hudoliaeth you grant her will be handled with all the experience and wisdom you have bestowed upon us" The Kings son smiled.
"I do not know" Galorian sighed, shaking his head, "A mortal life may be fleeting but it is still a long time for her to be away from home"
Aurelian bowed his head in thought for a moment before looking up to address his father, "My Lord, may I suggest a compromise?"
"Speak your mind son" The King waved his hand in allowance.
"Why not allow the Hudoliaeth to only take affect for eighteen years, then at the end of those eighteen years Calisto can return, she will have had her wish granted and may be more willing to settle back at Dduwiau y Môr" Aurelian propositioned.
The King looked thoughtfully at his son, "That sounds fair"
"So you'll allow her?" Aurelian asked.
"Yes" Galorian smiled, "You have convinced me, I'll grant Calisto a Hudoliaeth – for eighteen years only"
"Thank you Sire" The immortal son bowed and left the throne room, speed walking to find his sister.
Calisto was sat in her room, a servant brushing her long hair. The Princess reasoned with herself that she would be staring out a window if the Castle possessed any, but no, she was staring at a wall. She hadn't bothered to wipe the tears from her face, not that it mattered much anyway. She was doomed to an eternity down here. There was a soft knock on door.
"Yes" Calisto called softly, and she heard the soft swish of the door opening.
"Sister" She heard her brother murmur.
"Aurelian, I do not need a lecture about arguing with our Father" The immortal girl sighed, dismissing the servant with a wave of her hand, who departed with a small bow.
"No sister" She felt the depression of her mattress as her brother joined her on the bed, "I bring you good news"
Calisto turned to face him, suspicion and a small glimmer of hope clouding her porcelain features, "Then speak this good news brother"
"I have persuaded father to grant you a Hudoliaeth" The immortal boy grinned.
"No" Calisto breathed, "Really? Oh Aurelian! Who could ask for a better brother!" She wrapped her arms around in and permitted herself to squeal excitedly into his neck.
"Sister" Her brother whispered, "It was not easy to get our Lord to agree to such a thing"
She leant back and once again suspicion marred her features, Calisto was clever and knew what her brothers words meant, "What compromise did you make Brother?"
"The Hudoliaeth, it will only last eighteen years" Aurelian bowed his head slightly.
Calisto sighed and stared at her brother, he had always been more of a pacifist than her, more even tempered. While he was not afraid to fight, he would rather explore all other options, whereas she was more prone to follow gut instinct, and being hot-headed did not often lend itself to a good temperament. She reached out a hand and rested it on his shoulder.
"Thank you Aurelian" Calisto smiled, "You have given me a precious gift"
"When you go Cali" The immortal boy whispered, using the nickname he had bestowed upon her when he had first arrived at the castle, "Use your time wisely, do not let your temper rule you, and have fun, have fun for all of us that cannot"
Calisto merely smiled.
Sometime later – though no one inside Dduwiau y Môr was certain just how long, Calisto and Aurelian stood in front of King Galorian, shoulder to shoulder as a united front. Both were ready for the gift of the Hudoliaeth.
The King watched his two children with a sense of pride, and foreboding, he prayed that his daughter had enough sense to get through eighteen years of a mortal life alive. In his hands he held a necklace, untouched by time itself. The blue-white shell that hung off a twine of rope still glowed iridescently every time the orbs of light caught its creamy skin. The jewellery was the only keep-sake the King had of Calisto's mother.
Galorian held it up and let the shell swing freely in front of his daughter, "This" He boomed, making sure his voice reached every member of the Court who were assembled in the throne room, "Is the vessel that will carry the Hudoliaeth, the only thing I have left of your precious mother my daughter"
Calisto watched as the Queen sighed and shuffled slightly in her seat, and she felt a twinge of remorse for her. Her father and step-mother may not share love for each other but they will still married, and the immortal girl felt respect and gratitude for the woman that had still welcomed both her and her brother into the castle, into her home.
"Once I bless it, the Hudoliaeth will take hold, and as soon as it is around your neck the perception filter will begin" The King continued, "I am sorry, but I do not know how it will feel once this has happened, I have never worn such a Hudoliaeth myself. But it will grant you what you wish – a mortal existence"
"Thank you father, that is all I desire" Calisto smiled, the epitome of politeness now she had what she wished, "Father, will I remember who I am?" the immortal girl added, almost as an afterthought.
"Yes my child" The King nodded, "A Hudoliaeth only changes how those around you perceive you, not yourself" He paused as his daughter nodded, "Once I have placed the necklace around your neck, Aurelian will take you to the surface world, once there he will place you somewhere safe where you are likely to be found, and you will begin your life in earnest"
"Thank you My Lord" Calisto grinned, grabbing her brother's hand and giving it a quick squeeze of thanks, which he returned.
"I warn you though my Daughter" Galorian said solemnly, "You will only have the time I have promised you, at the sunrise of your eighteenth birthday you will return to normal, and the Hudoliaeth will no longer hold, those around you will see you for who and what you truly are"
"I understand Father" the immortal girl nodded.
While they took human form there were obvious differences between them and the humans. Their skin was pale and soft, and glowed with the magic of the ocean and the old ways, their eyes bore no pupils, consumed by the ethereal powers of the waters, the skin between their fingers and toes were webbed, while scales peppered their skin, and gills were slashed into either sides of their necks to allow their life under the waves.
"Very well then" The King stood up and gazed down at his daughter momentarily, before placing the necklace in mid-water in front of him.
Calisto felt the excitement well in her stomach, and it was her brothers warning in the form of a squeeze of her hand that stopped her from jumping up and down.
The King held out his right hand, and began to chant the blessing that would bestow the Hudoliaeth upon the necklace.
"Pece treowee andwlitan heora fram gesiht eallra" The King murmured, for a moment his eyes shone with the golden light of the old ways before returning to their brilliant green.
The necklace also glowed a dazzling gold before dimming, Galorian ushered his daughter closer who obeyed silently. A guard stepped forward and took Calisto's right hand, pricking her index finger with the jagged edge of a knife, the Court watched as the gold blood of the immortal dripped onto the shell, shine briefly with a white light before seeping into the skin of the necklace.
"Nu bebiede ic be bæt bu lætest bine flæsc sclice gelic nysse. Wyrb deor" The King whispered, his eyes glowing once more as he lifted the necklace high before placing it around his daughters neck.
As soon as the shell touched her skin, Calisto felt the world around her shift. Felt as though she was seeing everything through different eyes. Little did she know just how much the world above had changed. Or how much she would eventually change it.
Sorry if there's any spelling mistakes and stuff, I do my best XD
Soooo, let me know what you think, because I really am a bit tentative about posting this, its been a while since anyone outside my mom and best friend have read what I've written sooo... yeah... XD
Oh, and this is my favourite face, soooo sorry for its over-use - XD (See?... XD)
well, bub-bye for now XD
JellyBaby-123
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