500 Days of Freya (Merlin)

Persephone

Chapter 4

Warning/s: None.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

A/N: This is a Merlin version of a famous Greek myth, about Persephone and Hades. If you don't know the myth, I'll explain it briefly here. If you do, then skip to the next paragraph where I'll have the characters translated. Basically, Hades was the god of the underworld and Zeus's brother. Persephone, who is the daughter of Demeter, is also Hade's niece. Demeter is the goddess of nature. One day Persephone was walking with her naiad companions when the ground opened and swallowed her. One particular companion, called Cyane, was so upset that she dissolved into a river. The others did not try to help Persephone, so in a rage, Demeter turned them into hideous creatures – the sirens. She set off to find her daughter and there are lots of different versions of what happened for the next bit, but then she was led to Helios. Helios watches everything and he informed her of what happened. She appealed to Zeus, but Persephone had already been tricked into eating the seeds of a pomegranate from Hades. In the laws of the ancient world, this bound Persephone to Hades. Eventually, her mother managed to get her back for either nine, eight or six months (each version varies) of the year, and Hades got her for the remainder.

Merlin – Demeter (yes, Demeter is meant to be Persephone's mother, but I had to make it fit)
Freya – Persephone
Uther – Hades
Arthur - Zeus

Freya smiled against Merlin's lips as he ran his hands down her back, his fingers catching in the loose material she wore wrapped around her body. It was a fine, warm day and as their embrace continued, flowers pushed through the earth and twisted around their ankles, vibrant and beautiful. Reluctantly, Freya broke off from her lover with a pleased sigh. "I have to go and walk now," she explained, patting him on the arm and collecting her cloak.

Merlin groaned. "Surely it can wait, my dear?" He hated when Freya had to leave him; it meant he had to go and attend to his duties, such as helping the peasant farmers' crops grow. Don't make the mistake of thinking that Merlin was neglectful in his duties, or that he didn't enjoy them; he just enjoyed Freya more.

"I promised Cyane I would walk with her through the fields," Freya rebuked gently, fiddling with the clasp at the front of her cloak. "I think she is bringing our other companions as well, and I really cannot stay any longer. I am already late."

Merlin sighed, but handed his lover the basket that she was accustomed to taking with her on strolls; she liked to collect particularly beautiful flowers so that Merlin could recreate them in their private garden.

"Tell me, Cyane," Freya said, linking arms with the sweet girl. "What is new?"

"Nothing much," she replied, but then a mischievous twinkle entered her green eyes. "How are you and Merlin?"

Freya laughed, a soft lilting note. "We are good, but..." She hesitated. "Forgive me if I sound too quick to judge, but he seems almost as if he is growing tired of me sometimes."

Cyane looked shocked. "I'm sure that it is not so, Freya. I...I do not know, but it is harvesting season for the farmers. I'm certain that he is just overworked and busy with all of the offerings he is receiving and all of the crops that he must overlook."

Freya sighed. "I hope that you are right, Cyane." She opened her mouth to speak again but then spotted an odd fissure in the dirt road. "Excuse me one moment." She untangled her arm from Cyane's and walked over to the small crack, running her finger over it. That seemed to trigger something, as it glowed red hot and painful for a second before it split open wider.

With a scream for help, Freya tumbled forwards into the crack. Cyane rushed forwards but the crack had sealed itself, and however much she scrabbled at the ground, it would not open again. Tears streamed down her face and turned into muddy puddles on the ground. Through her tears, she screeched, "Get Merlin!"

When Merlin arrived, there was a river in the place of Cyane. He stared in amazement at the water that now ran instead of the path. "Where is Cyane?" he demanded, for she was the one who had commanded the other nymphs to fetch him.

"She cried so much she turned into a river, Merlin," one of the nymphs replied quietly. She too was staring in shock at the river. Merlin cursed under his breath. He glared round at Freya's companions; none but Cyane had tried to save her.

It took a few words to transform them to hideous, scaled creatures, quite a contrast from their previously beautiful forms that many men lusted after. Merlin felt only pure anger for what had happened, and he thought that he had an idea what happened.

Growling, Merlin turned to the sky and addressed Helios. He observed everything that went on underneath him, and he knew that the sun God had a soft spot for Freya; as he and Merlin worked so closely together, the two were closely acquainted.

Helios appeared in front of him, a blinding flash of gold. "Merlin," he spoke in a deep, gravelly voice. "What can I help you with?"

"Did you see who took Freya?" he asked urgently.

Helios paused. "A crack opened up in the ground. I cannot say for certain, but I suspect Uther to be the suspect."

Merlin ground his teeth together. Of course it was Uther. Uther was jealous of Freya; she was a lot like his late wife, not only in looks but in nature. "I will go to Arthur," he informed Helios, who nodded his agreement and vanished back into the sky.

"Arthur," Merlin pleaded with the king, "please bring her back to me. She should be up here with us, in the land of the living. She loves nature, she will be hating the gloom of the underworld."

Arthur sighed and ran a hand over his face. His father Uther was rather overbearing and cruel, but up until now he had been able to control him. Obviously he was not anymore, but what was he to do?

Freya knew she was not meant to, but she couldn't resist. She was terrified out of her wits; she knew Uther, of course, as all of the deities knew each other, but she had never been alone with him, let alone kidnapped by him. She knew eating the food of another meant that you could not leave their home; but she hadn't remembered that in time, and Uther had been so kind when he offered her the platter of pomegranate seeds.

She had consumed four of them before remembering the laws of the universe. She froze and cursed herself, for it was her own lips and stupidity that had sealed her fate. Uther had long since departed and she fell to the floor, sobbing. She wanted Merlin back. She wanted to be with Merlin again. Now she never could.

It took several days until negotiations were settled. Freya was to return to Merlin for the majority of the year, and the two met each other with tears and kisses and whispers of how sorry they were for what had happened. For three months, she would be returned to the Underworld with Uther, who was definitely not content with the situation. He was scared of Arthur though, who he knew had the power to strike him down, and conditions were laid out so Freya would be safe.

It was not ideal but it was enough.

For three months every year, the ground turned to ice and snow fell and crops were ruined. Merlin's despair for Freya was strong, and then when she was returned to him, trees bloomed and flowers blossomed once more.