Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. BBC does.
Merlin felt down as he rested on his rock, resting his head on his crossed arms. He knew that back in Camelot, Arthur was being crowned as the new King of Camelot. He let out a sigh as he thought of where he should be. He should have been there, supporting Arthur but he knew that there was no way that he could be.
He still felt the guilt over what had happened with Uther. He understood that the people around him were right. That there was nothing that he could have done to save the king after the magic on the pendant had taken hold but he still felt that he should have sensed the magic on it.
He let out a sigh of disgust as he thought about the magic, remembering the wrongness he had sensed. The magic that had been surrounding the pendant that had been weaved into the object had reacted to his touch, his own magic repelling the wrongness of the magic. He had been told before that he was the light to Morgana's darkness, the love to her hate and when he'd felt her magic on the pendant, he finally understood what they had meant.
Before Merlin had left Camelot they had devised a plan to deal with Agravaine. They knew that Merlin had been right when he had said that they had to leave Agravaine be within the court. But that didn't mean that they couldn't let him know that they were on to him. Merlin knew that he would be stuck. He wouldn't be able to tell Morgana that he had been discovered because to do so would mean that he had lost his usefulness and she would see him as a liability. If that happened then she wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
After all, a spy who had been discovered was of no use to her.
Merlin had had the idea to bring him to the lake. There wouldn't seem anything wrong with Arthur requesting that his uncle join him on a leisure ride and as he had never been there before, Agravaine most likely wouldn't realise that they were heading in the direction of the lake. Merlin's idea was to do to Agravaine what he had done to the man Randall before the others had devoured him.
Of course, he wasn't going to allow them to eat him this time.
It would do to terrify the nobleman and he had made it clear that he was going to be the one to do it. He was a threat to Arthur and that made him Merlin's problem. No one had had any qualms about Merlin's request. Not that it was much of a request.
Merlin knew that they wouldn't turn up for another few days. Arthur would allow the celebrations around his coronation to calm down before he set out. All Merlin had to do was wait. They had involved Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Leon in the plan. Gwaine was going to ride ahead of the group and let Merlin know that they were on the way.
He sighed before allowing himself to drift off into a doze in the sun. He tried to forget about the fact that everyone in Camelot would be celebrate and he was here, on the outside, knowing that there was a chance he couldn't show his face in Camelot again.
But then again, he had no idea what Arthur was going to do now that he was king.
He could only wait.
The next week or so passed in the same way it always did in the lake. There was nothing rushed about life under the water. There were no plots to uncover, no scheming relatives to try and stop and there wasn't anyone trying to kill him.
Well, except Morgana but she was looking for Emrys. And he really didn't think that Morgana would realise that he was Emrys. After all, to her, he was nothing more than Arthur's annoying former manservant.
So nothing to really worry about there.
Even if she found out where he was, there wasn't really anything she could do. He had the protection of the lake, the magic of the Lake of Avalon serving as a shield and he had his own magic to use against her.
And of course, he had the rest of the merpeople in the lake that could combat her magical abilities. Powerful witch or not, she was still susceptible to the power of the merfolk's song. Though with the warning she and Morgause had been given when they had come to the lake before, he came to the conclusion that she wouldn't come to the lake again.
Or at least, he thought she was smarter than that.
He was dozing in the shallows when he heard Gwaine hollering his name, not keeping the fact that he was there subtle at all. He rolled his eyes, letting out a chuckle as he swam to where Gwaine was, scaring the knight as he appeared in front of him.
"Merlin!" He grinned down at him, shaking his hair out of his eyes. "Did you have to do that?"
"Did you have to yell like that?" Merlin shot back, resting his arms in front of him on the dock. Gwaine didn't say anything in response, only shrugging and grinning down at the merman in front of him. Of all of them that had found out about his true form, Gwaine had taken it the easiest – possibly with the exception of Arthur but then again, Merlin didn't know what he had been like when he had gone back to Camelot. The others had been slightly wary of him when they had first found out, getting used to seeing the skin of his torso melding into the sleek scales that made up his tail. They were all used to him now and Merlin was glad that they hadn't held it against him when they had found out the truth.
"What can I do for you, Gwaine?" He asked and Gwaine sighed, looking over the lake.
"Just doing what I've been told," he shrugged and Merlin raised an eyebrow at him. "Delivering a message."
"They're on their way." Merlin guessed and Gwaine nodded. Merlin pushed away from the dock and gave Gwaine a wicked grin before disappearing beneath the surface of the lake. Gwaine shivered slightly at the look the merman had given him. He didn't want to know what that look meant. He was quite content not knowing what his friend had done in the past. He was quite content in not knowing about the vicious creature he had soon realised that Merlin could be. He had heard stories about the merpeople in the lake but to Gwaine, he didn't want to picture his friend in that way.
Merlin quickly called the others in the lake. They knew what was coming and they knew what to do. They had all agreed that since the prince – now king – and his knights had stopped the abuse of the powers of Life and Death, they would always remain untouched by those in the lake. The respect for the spirits and the powers of the world was not something they took lightly and anyone abusing those powers was to be punished.
The fact that Agravaine was in league with one of the witches that brought on the monstrosities that had happened as a result, he was deemed an enemy by the merpeople.
They were not happy they couldn't kill him.
They all gathered beneath the surface, waiting for the arrival of the group. They didn't need to wait long before they heard the horses coming and Merlin ducked into the alcove where Arthur had found him the first time he had come to the lake all that time ago. He kept himself hidden, listening with a wicked grin as Arthur's uncle realised where they were and started to insist that they turn back, stating that it wasn't safe.
"I've been here before, Uncle." Arthur reasoned, sounding sure as Merlin heard him dismount his horse. "As long as we don't go into the water, we are quite safe." They are, Merlin thought wryly.
"But they sing, Arthur," Agravaine reasoned and Merlin rolled his eyes at the tone. He was clearly frightened and Merlin heard the others dismounting their horses, clearly not worried. Not that they had any reason to be. They all knew that they were safe from the merpeople. Agravaine had no such surety. "They sing for their prey. Being on the shore does not mean that they aren't dangerous."
"Like I said, we've been here before and have never had any problems." Arthur assured his uncle once again. "We'll stop here for a little while, let the horses rest before we head back to Camelot." He heard Arthur let out a sigh and Merlin chuckled gently in amusement. Arthur was playing his part well. "It really is quite beautiful here, don't you agree?"
Merlin heard one last person dismounting their horse, landing heavily on the ground and he guessed that Agravaine had finally realised that he would not be able to dissuade the young king from stopping here.
"It is, sire." He agreed and Merlin moved his position slightly, catching a glimpse of the man, dressed all in black from his hair right down to his boots. "But with beauty . . . also comes danger."
"That is true, Uncle." Arthur agreed and Merlin listened carefully. Arthur had told him that once he mentioned the merpeople specifically, that was when Merlin knew to have him spook his uncle. But he appeared to be taking his sweet time about it.
"And it is dangerous here, Arthur." He sounded wary and Merlin could only imagine him glancing around, checking for any kind of danger from the lake.
"That may be so but we have been here several times and have had no encounters with the merpeople in the lake," Merlin grinned to himself, having heard the words, submerging. Even from under the water, he could hear Arthur loud and clear. "We probably won't even see one."
At his words, Merlin breached the surface momentarily before diving back down, ensuring that his tail could be clearly seen from the shore and grinning to himself when he heard Agravaine's startled cry as he noticed him. Arthur brushed him off, pretending not to have seen him and Merlin motioned for the others to join in.
At his signal, they began moving, causing the serene surface of the lake to ripple in response and Merlin grinned to himself, receiving the reaction he and Arthur had wanted from the nobleman on the shore.
Merlin nodded to Karina who smirked at him, breaking the surface and starting her song to call the man. Just as they had done with the immortal army of Morgana and Morgause, she sang specifically to Agravaine, ensuring that it would only be him that reacted to her song. It didn't take long for the man's boots to appear in the water as he followed the sound of her voice. He watched as the nobleman walked into the lake up to his shoulders before she pulled him under and the others quickly took him to the cave they had been in when hiding from the immortal army. Merlin broke the surface and nodded to Arthur. The king nodded back and he and the knights made their way to the entrance of the cave, knowing exactly where it was from when they had previously inhabited it.
Merlin quickly made his way into the cave where Karina was still singing to Agravaine, him floating in place, completely entranced by her. The others had followed and the nobleman had no way of escape. They had him completely surrounded.
"You can stop now," Merlin advised as he entered the cave and the song stopped immediately. He knew the moment the man came to his senses and started to panic as his motions in the water became choppy and frantic. He made the same move he had with Randall, swimming around the man and brushing against him with his tail. It caused the same reaction and Merlin couldn't help but grin to himself as he did it again.
Toying with Agravaine was fun.
He perched himself on a protruding rock under the surface, occasionally flicking Agravaine's legs with his tail, grinning to himself as the nobleman flailed each time, trying to see what was touching him. He knew that Agravaine couldn't see him from where he was, only feel the odd brush of his tail and witnessing the man's distress was more enjoyable to Merlin than he would admit to his human friends.
"Arthur!" He smirked as he heard Agravaine call out to the king as he made his way into the cave. "Arthur, help!"
Arthur said nothing as he stopped in front of the man he called his uncle. To the king, the man was no longer considered his family. His blood family were either dead or had betrayed him but on the way to the lake, Arthur had come to the realisation that he had another family. A new family. One that had chosen to come together, rather than being linked by blood. They were bound by something stronger. By loyalty, trust and love. And Arthur would trust in them more than he ever would his blood family any longer.
And no one had earned his trust and loyalty more than a certain merman lingering in the depths beneath his panicking uncle.
The merpeople that had surfaced next to the floor of the cave moved aside as the king and knights approached the edge, allowing him to peer down at his uncle without any obstruction.
"You're perfectly safe, Agravaine," Arthur advised the man, his tone cold and deadly. Merlin wrinkled his nose at the tone, hating hearing it from his friend. "As I'm sure you're aware, I have struck an accord with the merpeople in the lake. We do not harm them and they do not harm us." He paused, staring down at Agravaine, who had stopped moving, bobbing lightly on the surface. "But then again, you already knew that, didn't you?"
"Arthur . . ." he glanced around at the merfolk in the water around him, knowing that they could very well rip him apart at any given moment. "Please, I don't understand."
"You already know of the truce that has been struck between myself and the Golden One of the Lake of Avalon," Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur's words. He knew that it sounded more impressive than anything else but it was just so long-winded.
"Arthur . . ." it appeared that Agravaine couldn't argue with the King in front of him. He had been made aware of the agreement that had been struck. Morgana had been most angry to remember that she could not go to the lake for support due to it and she had ranted to Agravaine about it before Uther's death. "Of course not, I-"
"I know you are aware Uncle because Morgana was made aware of it more than a year ago." Merlin watched as the nobleman froze in place, not having expected Arthur's words.
"Morgana?" If they hadn't known the truth about him, he would have been believable in his surprise. But as it was, Arthur couldn't hold back the sneer that made its way onto his face as he lowered himself into a crouch.
He held up a fisted hand, opening it, allowing the pendant that Agravaine had placed around Uther's neck to hang, swinging as the chain snapped taught in front of the man in the water. "Do not pretend you do not know what this is." Arthur's voice was barely more than a whisper, growling at his uncle. "Do not pretend you don't recognise it as it is the same one you placed around my father's neck."
"I give you my word, Arthur, I don't know what you're talking about." Merlin grinned at the panic he heard in Agravaine's voice.
"Careful," he heard come from next to him, seeing Karina with a playful glint in her eye. "Grinning like that others might think you're enjoying this."
"But I am," he returned her smirk and she giggled, remaining next to him to watch what was going on from beneath the surface. This was Arthur's show and he would indicate when he wanted Merlin to play his part.
"Well, then, I guess it's a good thing that I no longer hold any stock in your word, isn't it?" Arthur responded as he stood up. "How is my sister doing, by the way? Now that Morgause is gone, she must be incredibly lonely all by herself."
"Arthur, I-"
"Enough!" Merlin's eyebrows shot up as Arthur commanded confidently. He was growing quickly into his role as king. He definitely had the determination for it. Once he really settled into the role, he would become more of a king than his father was. He would be loved by the people and Merlin knew that he would be fair to all those in the kingdom. He had no doubt about that. "You are a liar and a traitor and as it is I would rather not look on you again." From underneath the surface, Merlin saw Agravaine's head snap in all different directions, seeing the merpeople around him, clearly thinking Arthur had brought him here to be eaten by them. He had no idea that he wasn't going to come to any harm.
But watching him panic was fun.
"You're planning on having me killed then?" Agravaine had sensed that the act was up, that the king knew that he was working with Morgana. "Bring me here and tell those back in Camelot that the merpeople got me? I'm not sure how that would benefit your little truce."
"Oh no, Uncle," Merlin could hear the smirk on Arthur face as he began to deliver the message he wanted to get through. "I am not a coward such as you. I will not stoop so low as to kill family, no matter how much their actions warrant it."
"Then what?" Agravaine shot back, momentarily forgetting his position as he regarded his nephew in confusion. "Lock me away? Or perhaps you mean to use me against Morgana?" He chuckled low in his throat, eying his nephew. Merlin raised an eyebrow at the cocky attitude the man had just taken on. He brushed his tail against the man's leg again, causing him to flail and look around frantically, remembering where he was and that he was not in control. "Because I'll do no such thing."
"Oh I think you will." Arthur crouched down again, meeting his uncle's eye. "Because to stop doing so would put your life at risk from both sides. You cannot reveal to Morgana that you have been discovered as to do so, she would have no further use for you. And we've all seen what happens when she doesn't need someone anymore. She killed her own sister to wreak havoc on the world. If she was willing to do that, what makes you think she would keep a discovered spy around?" Arthur allowed his words to sink in. "You have been discovered, Agravaine." He glanced around at the merpeople surrounding his uncle, a wicked grin on his face. "And do not think that you can escape Camelot, either." He pushed himself up again, looking every bit the king he was. "Did you know, that merpeople can track scents that are days old, even from underwater?" He didn't receive a response from the disgraced nobleman, not that he was expecting one. "They've got your scent now, Uncle. Wherever you go, they can find you."
Agravaine let out another laugh, not phased at all even though he was currently in a pool filled with creatures that would very happily take more than a bite out of him. "They are easy enough to avoid. After all, they need the water, don't they?"
Arthur dropped the pendant he had in his hand into the water and Merlin took that as his cue. "I have someone I want you to meet, Agravaine."
Merlin pushed off his perch, swimming around the nobleman again, this time, wrapping his tails around the man's legs, keeping them bound as he broke the surface in front of the man. He could see the look of terror on Agravaine's face as he fought to free his legs from the superior strength of Merlin's tail.
Merlin breached the surface to just below his shoulders, keeping eye contact with the terrified man as he held him in place.
"Agravaine, I would like you to meet the one they refer to as the Golden One," Merlin refrained from rolling his eyes even though he wanted to. "He is the one that is in charge here in the lake. He is the one that we have the truce with. And he is the one that we will send word to, should you disappear."
Merlin said nothing, only increasing the grip he had on Agravaine's legs, causing the man to panic even more.
"He is different to all of the other's you see around you," Arthur gestured to the other merpeople gathered. "Do you want to know how he is different?" Agravaine didn't respond, only watched Merlin as the merman stared at the human in his grip. "He has the ability to obtain legs." Agravaine swallowed thickly, making Merlin smirk at him.
"Which means I have the ability to follow you wherever you go." He said softly to the nobleman. "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Agravaine. Do not think that because you are not near water, that you can escape me. It will not be that easy." He unwound his tail from the man's legs, drifting leisurely around him, knowing that he was causing the man's panic to rise. He could smell it emanating from him and he couldn't stop the grin. "Now, all you need to decide is who you fear more. Morgana . . . or us." He stopped in front of Arthur, causing Agravaine to look up at the king.
"Now, you are going to continue living in Camelot." Arthur stated matter-of-factly, "and you are to continue your useless reports to Morgana. And . . . if you try to run away . . ." he motioned to Merlin again who bared his teeth at Agravaine in an evil looking grin. "Merlin will find you with no issues at all."
"Merlin?" Agravaine looked back down at the merman in front of him. "They said you were dead."
"People get things wrong," he shrugged, moving towards Agravaine, smirking when he tried to move away from him, splashing water everywhere. "I'm surprised Morgana didn't tell you. Oh, yes, she knows I'm alive. Has done for a long time. And remember, Agravaine," he lowered his voice to nothing more than a whisper as he stopped inches from the nobleman, "you try to run . . . I will have no trouble in finding you and ripping you to pieces. Understood?" He grinned as the man nodded his head frantically, having heard the stories of what the merpeople could do. He had even heard from Morgana herself that they had ripped her immortal soldiers to shreds before devouring them. He was right to be afraid. "Good."
He moved away from Agravaine, settling on a protruding rock just above the surface of the water, allowing Agravaine to see the shimmering golden scales of his tail. The others in the pool shoved Agravaine forwards and the knights grabbed a hold of him, pulling him out of the pool and out of the cave. Arthur watched them go, letting out a sigh as he turned to face the merpeople in front of him.
"Thank you," he said simply, looking around at all of them. They each nodded, knowing that their job was done before disappearing beneath the surface, leaving Merlin and Arthur alone in the cave. Arthur sighed and sat down in front of his friend, running a hand through his hair. "Have I done the right thing?" He asked and Merlin gave him a look of sympathy.
"I know he's your Uncle and what just happened must hurt but . . . you did the right thing. He needed to be warned and now he knows that he's being watched. He won't have the freedom he had before and he also knows that he can't report that he's been discovered to Morgana because he knows that she'll kill him. Feeding him useless or incorrect information could very well help in the future as she won't what has happened."
"What if he tells her about you?" He asked, looking slightly worried about what that might mean.
"So he tells her about me." Merlin shrugged, clearly not phased at the thought of Morgana knowing what and where he was. "What exactly is she going to be able to do? Even if she dared come here again, she knows what will happen. She's already been warned once before."
Arthur let out another sigh, looking towards the opening in the cave where the knights had taken his struggling uncle. Agravaine knew that he was being watched and he wouldn't be able to get away with everything he had been so far. Arthur knew that Merlin was right in telling him to keep him alive or else Morgana may plant another spy within Camelot. One they didn't know about.
But that didn't stop Arthur from wanting to kill his uncle every time he saw him.
He didn't know how he had managed to keep his cool while riding out of Camelot. He and the knights all knew the truth surrounding Uther's death and they all knew that the one with them in black was the one to blame. Holding in their anger had been hard for the knights. They managed to hold themselves back while on the way to the lake, knowing that Merlin's plan would be perfect for setting up the nobleman.
Merlin watched Arthur go, a little sad that it had come to this with his family. They were either dead or wanted him dead and he knew how lonely Arthur must have been. He had felt it sometimes when in Camelot. Feeling the weight of his destiny pushing down on him, not having anyone that he could talk to about it. But at least he had his mother that he could come back to for some kind of comfort. He just hoped that Arthur knew that he considered them to be family and that he wasn't alone.
It took less time than Merlin thought it would before Morgana turned up at the lake, absolutely furious. A scant few days before she appeared. Agravaine had obviously taken the opportunity as soon as he could and told her that Merlin was at the lake. Merlin chuckled to himself as he heard her yelling his name across the lake keeping to the shoreline as though that would keep her out of harm's way. The last time she had been to the lake, she had been nervous, clearly scared of what dwelled beneath the surface butt his time she had no such hesitation. This time, she was furious and wasn't giving any thought to her own safety.
She probably thought that she was powerful enough to hold off the merpeople.
"Merlin!" He rolled his eyes as she screamed, her voice echoing over the stillness of the lake, shattering the sanctity of the place.
He warned the youngsters that had gathered around him to stay where they were as he cut through the waters towards the seething witch. Being as young as they were, their natural magical shield that protected them from magical assaults was not fully formed and while they were safe amongst the elder merfolk in the water, on their own they were vulnerable. Easy prey for someone like Morgana on a rampage.
She didn't notice him as he surface not too far from where she was, leaning against one of the rocks at the lake edge.
"Must you make so much noise?" He asked calmly, not looking at her and he knew the moment she turned to look at him.
"You!" He pretended to inspect his nails before pulling up a magical shield that would deflect anything she threw at him. Pulling from the power of the lake, he didn't have to worry while Morgana was around. He looked over at her, lazily raising an eyebrow, smirking at her. "I should have known."
"Really?" He allowed his smirk to grow into a grin, showing her exactly how much he feared her. She watched him carefully, her eyes drifting down his torso to where his tail broke the surface, his scales glittering in the sunlight. "You really believe that you should have known I wasn't human. And what would have given me away?" He regarded her as she did nothing but glare at his tail as though it held all of the answers she was looking for. "There was no one in Camelot who knew."
"You betrayed me," some of the anger that had been there before had disappeared, "you lied to me."
"Oh, don't take it so personally, Morgana," he waved her off, looking over the lake, "I lied to everyone."
"You could have helped me." She argued, her voice tense and Merlin fought to roll his eyes. "You could have helped me with my magic when I first learned about it."
He let out a chuckle, turning back to face her. "And how could I have done that?" He crossed his arms on the rock next to him, tilting his head at her appearing intrigued. "I am not human, Morgana. I do not live, breathe or work in the same way humans do. Your magic is as foreign to me as my tail is to you. I could offer you no assistance."
"So you left me scared and alone-"
Merlin let out a frustrated sigh. "Do not try for pity Morgana, you will not get any here." He warned and she stopped speaking instantly. "You have no friends here, Morgana. You have toyed with forces that are beyond your control and you have upset the balance of the world. More than once. There is not a creature in this lake that would not love to rip you to pieces." She sucked in a breath, not doubting his words. "Leave now, Morgana. Leave the lake and leave Camelot. You will not get what you came for."
"I only want what is rightfully mine," she growled and Merlin chuckled again.
"Which is what?" He shot back, raising an eyebrow at her. "You've driven away all those that cared about you, you are completely alone. You are not entitled to anything Lady Morgana." She bristled at the tone he used when saying her name, her eyes darkening as she regarded him.
"You would follow Arthur? A man who would have you killed as soon as finding out what you are." She gestured towards his tail. "You think that he would not have you and your kind slaughtered if he found out. With me on the throne, you would be accepted and magic would be welcomed back into Camelot, surely you could see that."
"Of that I had no doubt, but at what cost?" He smirked at her, allowing more of his true nature as a merman to come through with each moment that passed. "You murdered many innocent people when you attempted to seize the throne, Morgana and you toyed with the most primal force there is on two separate occasions. Clearly you are uneducated and naïve in the proper uses of magic." He could see that he was riling her up with each word spoken. "And besides, Arthur already knows about me."
"That's not possible." She sneered and he laughed again, rather enjoying himself.
"Oh but it is." He moved towards her slowly, the grin still on his face. "Do you not remember your visit with your sister? You were more nervous then, as you should be now. You were told of an accord that had been struck between Camelot and the lake. Arthur has known about me for a long time. And while he is King, the truce between Camelot and the Lake of Avalon stands. And there's nothing you can do about it."
"You cannot stop me." She laughed and he let out a sigh, shaking his head.
"No," he looked up at her once again, "but I know who can." She froze and he chuckled. "I don't even need to mention his name, do I and you know of whom I speak."
"Emrys." She whispered and he nodded.
"Yes, Emrys," he moved towards her slowly, his expression darkening with every inch gained. "The man foretold to be your doom."
"You know who he is." She whispered and he grinned at her again. "Tell me."
"And why would I want to do that?" He pushed away from her slightly, noting that the shield he had erected around himself was still holding strong. He knew that should be become too angry, she would lash out. Her magic may have grown but she was still prone to emotional outbursts as she had been before.
"He is no threat to me," she practically growled to the merman floating in front of her, noting the golden shade of his tail. She had been told by the mermaid when she and Morgause had come to the lake once before, that Arthur had struck a truce with the Golden One of the lake and it meant that it had to have been Merlin. Arthur had known that he was alive the whole time. "I will destroy Emrys and I will destroy Arthur. I will take the throne of Camelot."
"A throne to which you have no claim." She faltered at Merlin's words, looking down at him from where she was.
"I am Uther's daughter."
"You may have the blood of Uther running through your veins but . . ." he waved a finger at her, a knowing smile on his face. "You are illegitimate, my dear Morgana, born of an affair and Uther never claimed you as his own, meaning you have no claim to the throne. Any that could say you do are dead. By your own hand."
"You don't know what you're talking about." She shot back and he chuckled again, feeling slightly bored of conversing with her. He just wanted her to leave now.
"I know a lot more than you think, Morgana," he said softly, drifting towards her again, resting on a rock in front of her.
He began to hum, low in his throat, a haunting tune that caused Morgana's eyes to glaze over completely as soon as it reached her ears. His voice became louder as the moments passed as she started to step towards the water, towards Merlin. She stepped into the water and he moved backwards, still singing as she followed him, completely overcome by the song he was weaving. He waited until she was waist height into the water, swimming up to her as she gazed at him. He pushed himself up so that he was level with her face, cupping her chin gently. She watched him with vacant eyes, nothing being registered as he gripped her with his hand and with his magic, falling backwards and pulling her underneath the surface with him. He pulled her further to the centre of the lake before surfacing, wrapping his tail around her as he had done with Agravaine some days previous, stopping his song and waiting as she came back to her senses.
The first thing she did was try to fight, as he knew she would. He grinned as she tried to loosen her arms and legs, fighting against the superior muscle of his tails.
"You see, Morgana," he whispered, running a finger under her chin as she glared at him, unable to move. "You may be powerful in the world of humans but here . . . here you are nothing." He pulled away from her, letting her see the true nature he usually kept buried when in the company of humans as it unnerved them. "This . . . is my world, Morgana. Where you are not welcome. I will, however, give you once last reprieve." She blinked at him, stunned. "Leave this place. Leave this place and do not return. Because if you do . . . I will not stop them from ripping you to pieces."
She glanced around as he snarled the last words into her ear, seeing the ripples on the surface of the water.
"Either you leave this lake now and do not return or you face them." He released her from his grip, moving away from her and leaving her to float on her own. "Your choice."
He wasn't surprised when she immediately started to swim for the shore.
Okay, I know Merlin was really OOC in this chapter but it's all part of his nature as a merman. Remember, he's not actually human. But he does enjoy munching on them.
