An Unlikely Visitor

Eilwen stayed as far behind Merlin as she could; noticeably still embarrassed over what had happened that morning. Merlin walked as quickly as he could; the sooner this little tour of the castle was over, the sooner he could get rid of Eilwen and possibly go about doing what he normally did. The tour started out awkward and fast pace. Merlin showed Eilwen the kitchen, main dining room, ect. She seemed very interested about the tapestries that adorned the rooms and hallways, but she was hesitant in asking about them. Maybe Merlin shouldn’t have yelled at her this morning; but, it was quite shocking waking up next to a strange fish girl. Merlin led Eilwen up the south tower steps and onto the pathway overlooking the castle grounds. The early afternoon breeze wafted over the top of the castle. The breeze also brought with it the sounds of clashing metal.
“Ah, here we go.” Merlin said leading Eilwen to the wall; pointing over the side. “You wanted to see Arthur, well there he is.”
Eilwen leaned over the wall, following Merlin’s outstretched finger.
Arthur was on the castle grounds below, sword in hand, fighting with a broad shouldered man. Arthur blocked the opponent’s advances with heroic grace. Merlin glanced over at Eilwen to see her reaction. Eilwen just stood there, eyes fixated on Arthur, wonder and amazement in her eyes. Merlin felt a tinge of something in his stomach; but just as quickly as it had appeared it had disappeared. He decided now would be a good time for some small talk.
“So,” he started.
Eilwen quickly met Merlin’s eyes. “Yes?”
“So, um, you like Camelot then?” he asked scratching his head.
Eilwen nodded enthusiastically. “I love it! It’s 100 times more impressive than my king’s castle.”
“What’s your king’s castle like?” Merlin asked, suddenly interested.
Eilwen thought deeply for a moment. “Well, it’s completely made out of coral and shells. There are no doors, only little portholes where the mermyds swim through and there are three pillars that represent the three mermyd clans that inhabit the sea.”
Merlin perked up. “There are different kinds of you?”
“You could say that. Each clan has their own characteristics that define them. Like me for example: I look like you except my hands and feet are different.”
“And the absorbing language thing too, right?” Merlin added.
“Actually, that’s a characteristic that all mermyds share. It’s something that we have developed over the decades.”
Merlin’s eyes widened. “Decades? That’s not possible, you look no older than nineteen.”
Eilwen blushed slightly. “Thank you, but it’s true. My people age very, very slowly. I’m actually three-hundred years old.”
Merlin was completely interested now. “Tell me more about your home. What is it like? What do your people do? How is it different from here?”
“Well, we have a king, like you do. He’s very just, but very set in his ways. We have markets like yours. We use shells and other items that we find to bargain and trade; hence why I tried to use a shell to acquire that cloak.
“We have elders who teach us everything that are in our records. We have physicians, much like your master, Gaius, who treat the ill.”
“And the different clans?” Merlin asked.
“There are three united clans: the Yellow Tail Clan, the Red Fin Clan, and the Blue Shell Clan. I’m from the Blue Shell Clan, the clan which our king is descended from. The Yellow Tail Clan is mostly made up of physicians, the Red Fin Clan consists of warriors, and the Blue Shell Clan is made up of scholars and those who are avid learners.”
“Wow,” Merlin said breathlessly. “that’s incredible! So many different clans, all specializing in different fields; and you all live peacefully?”
“Most times.” Eilwen replied, her tone changing slightly. “There is one way that peace is maintained among all the clans. The king must marry his daughters to the sons of the diplomats of the other clans. That way, there is a connection among the clans.”
“Ah, like what we do here.” Merlin said.
Eilwen nodded. “I’m not fond of it. Other than that, I love it there. It’s so peaceful. You know, it rains there; but it’s a different type of rain than what you have here. Instead of rain drops, tiny little bubbles rise from the bottom of the sea floor and make their way up to the surface.”
“Like a backward rain shower.” Merlin said. “Brilliant! But, if you love your home so much, why did you want to leave it? Your people hardly ever come to the surface, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t just come here to take a stroll.”
Eilwen’s face fell and Merlin regretted asking the question. Eilwen turned to face where Arthur was still practicing; eyes lowered. “There were happenings that I didn’t agree with.”
Merlin felt sorry for the poor girl. Whatever had made her come here troubled her deeply. Merlin turned to where Arthur was standing on the ground. He had stopped fighting and was now whipping his face and neck. Something in the corner of Merlin’s eye caught his attention. Another one of Arthur’s other servants was carrying an armful of swords; probably on his way to get them sharpened. The servant looked a few years younger than Merlin and was visibly having trouble carrying all of the heavy swords. Merlin leaned closer to the edge; a bad feeling creeping over him. And then he saw why: a large rock was in the path of the struggling servant.
“Please miss it, please miss it.” Merlin begged quietly.
But the servant was completely unaware of the obstruction in his path. Merlin watched in horror as the servant approached the rock; his foot catching on the side of it. As he fell, the swords flew out of his arms and headed straight for where Arthur stood.
Merlin concentrated hard on redirecting the falling swords. He could feel his power swell up within him; directing his energy at the swords and causing them to slow down. They hovered for a moment and then quickly fell to the ground right behind Arthur’s back. At the sound of falling metal Arthur spun around.
“What in the hell happened?!” he cried at the bewildered servant.
A symphony of curses and scolds followed. Merlin felt sorry for the poor servant, but a few harsh words were better than an injured, or dead, Arthur.
Merlin chuckled at his own cleverness. But his joy was short lived when he noticed Eilwen staring at him. Dread soon flushed through Merlin’s body. Had she seen him use his magic?
Merlin gawked as he waited for Eilwen to say something.
“M-magic?” She stuttered. “You can use magic?”
“Oh no.” Merlin groaned.