User:CarrieBerg/The Nine Healers of Avalon

There are nine of us. Few ever get it right. Usually only three of us are ever mentioned. And if the tales speak of nine, they leave out most of our names. Except for Morgan. She was always the famous one. But in order for you to understand what has happened, you will have to know who we are. And so, here are our names, from eldest to youngest:

First is Elaine. Then comes me, Anna, a few seconds before my twin, Morgause. Then comes Blasine. Next is Hermesent. Then the ever-famous Morgana. Finally the triplets: Nimue, Niniane and the youngest of us all, Viviane.

We are called the Nine Healers of Avalon, but that is not entirely true. Only Elaine is the healer. However, she is the eldest, and most people assume that sisters have similar powers. In our family that couldn't be farther from the truth. Yes, we all have powers over water, but none of us, not even the triplets, have exactly the same powers. I could almost pity our mother.

As I mentioned, Elaine is the healer. Her healing potions work wonders, and their properties are still lauded in tales. She seldom leaves Avalon to interact with the world. She prefers to ease pain and suffering for those who visit the isle. My twin takes after our other water Fae relatives. She is like the Washer Women of the Ford. When Morgause is near water and near someone about to die, the water turns to blood. Her gift is not an easy one. It is often misunderstood, and so she usually hides herself away from the world. She doesn't mind frequent visits from me, but then I'm her twin, and perhaps I understand her better than most.

Blasine's powers tend to be with water vapor, steam, and clouds. She lives high above the world, and watches the skies. She doesn't come down to visit the rest of us much. Hermesent has power over ice, and lives far in the frozen North. We rarely hear from her. Morgan might be the most powerful of us all. She has power over the vast ocean, and prefers to dwell beneath the wild waves. Nimue comes close to Morgan's powers, except that Nimue has power over fresh water, and dwells in particularly deep lakes. She is called the Lady of the Lake, after all. Niniane has mediocre abilities over water. Her main talents lie with songs, much like our siren cousins. No voice in all of Faerie is sweeter. And dear, young Viviane is a shapeshifter. How is that a power of water? The Fae body, much like a human's, is over half water. Need I say more?

As for me, well, let's just say that you don't need to know what my abilities are, at least, not yet...

Having powers over water means we all can easily stay in touch. A bowl of water is all that is needed to contact one and other. So when one of us went missing, we knew immediately that something was very wrong. And that was before we were summoned before the High Seelie Court. Why? Merlin had gone missing. And so had our youngest sister Viviane.

Now, the High Seelie Court doesn't often call for a full inquiry. But Merlin was a very powerful member, and his friends wanted justice for what they considered foul play. For some stupid reason they assumed that Viviane had bewitched him (rumors said she had been his last student or that she was the last person to be seen with him) and that we were helping to hide her! That was why we were all summoned. That – and because no one could remember how many of us there were. I believe nine was more than they expected.

It certainly didn't help matters that Nimue, Niniane and Viviane are identical triplets. Seeing two sisters that looked so much like the missing – or hidden – sister made a lot of the court edgy. But no one was willing to challenge Nimue, and Niniane is too well loved in her own right, so most chose to overlook their similar appearance.

Now, you might be wondering why we were called to the High Seelie Court at all. It is certainly a huge task to track us all down. (You might have noticed none of us live anywhere near the others.) Though all you would have to do is track down one of us to get in contact with the rest. But that still leaves the question of how even one of us was found. Not surprisingly, it was Morgan. You see, Oberon, the current King of the Seelie Court, is her son.

Now I know what you're thinking. If the King of the Seelie Court is her son, why were we called before the court? But Oberon couldn't afford to show his mother's family any favoritism. He was newly married, his wife was jealous for his affections, and the friends or Merlin were just too powerful to give token platitudes to. So with many apologies, and promises of favors later, he called all of us in.

Viviane's, and by extension our, trial was a huge spectacle. To some it was a joke. To others a matter of personal revenge. After all, we sisters are all powerful in our own right, and have made quite a few enemies along the way. To me, well, I always saw the full workings of the High Seelie Court as a magnificent game, equal measures exciting and dangerous. In this game, Niniane was the one to make the first move.

She spoke beautifully about our youngest sister. Listing Viviane's virtues, her gentle nature, her capacity for love, the way everything could not help but treat her kindly. The list went on and on. With words as her weapons, Niniane wooed the crowd. But her sweet voice was not enough to sway those with the hardest of hearts. Those who had called for this inquiry in the first place. They sat with icy eyes and refused the believe Viviane was innocent. At last, Niniane realized she was defeated. With sunken shoulders and delicate tears, she stepped down and yielded the floor.

Next to speak was Blasine. She was speaking on behalf of us sisters. She attempted to convince the court that we knew nothing about Viviane's disappearance. She had searched high and low from her castle in the clouds, but nothing was found. Blasine did not plead with the court. For all her airy nature, she listed her facts logically, concisely, and then stepped down, drifting back to her place among the rest of us.

And then came Morgan. She swept onto the floor with her usual extravagance, as unstoppable and graceful as the tide. She knows exactly how to set a scene, how to pose for the best effect, and most importantly, how to deliver a glare that will make your bones melt. She was using her famous glare now. Morgan's anger is like the sea: wild, dangerous, half-hidden and swirling. It will suck you down when you least expect it. Seeing her angry usually reminds people of something else they should be doing – something which is usually halfway around the world from where they currently are. And like the ocean waves, Morgan will wear you down over time. Much like she was doing now with her words. She delivered a scalding lecture on the duties of the High Seelie Court – reminding them that one of their main duties was to protect all of its members. Didn't it make more sense to hold the trial once they found Viviane and Merlin, and found out what had really gone on? She treated the court like a bunch of errant children. She didn't bother to hide her belief that she thought this whole affair was a childish ploy by some lesser members of the court to gain fame by condemning Viviane – who wasn't there and couldn't even defend herself!

For me, her words couldn't have been more perfect. They would set the foundation for what I was planning to do later. Abruptly, Morgan stopped talking and again glared at the crowd. She left, not by walking, but with a vast watery splash, simultaneously disappearing and spraying the callers of the inquiry with salt water. I smiled into my hands. Their silk would be forever ruined.

Most believe Morgan is scary when angry. And she is. No doubt about it. But Hermesent is far worse. Now her icy fury filled the room. Her eyes were like shards of glass, piercing and reflecting back the court's disdain. When she strode to the center of the room, a swirling hush descended, as if the High Seelie Court was too scared to breathe. Or perhaps the air hurt their lungs. The temperature had dropped with each step Hermesent took. For a few minutes she just stood, glaring at those who had dared called us here. She was not best pleased, and aside from Blasine, had had the farthest to travel to reach the Court. When she spoke it was cutting and to the point.

“This inquiry is a travesty. You did not call us here to listen to a word we say. You have already made up your minds. This is a waste of my time, and yours, calling in us sisters like this, and I will not abide it for another moment. I do not care about your Merlin. He is of no consequence, for I have not heard of him before.” There was a sharp intake of breath, but Hermesent did not care, and continued her harsh tirade, “I could care less about this court. Your laws do not rule me. Contact me when you have information about our missing sister. And don't you dare claim we have helped her! We sisters know nothing about where dear Viviane is! I traveled here to see if I could find out, but that was a mistake. I could have learned more from conversing with polar bears.”

And with those words, Hermesent left the floor and strode out of the room. We watched her go. Shock rippled through the court. For a few moments all were too frozen to act. The inquiry was half over, and things were not going as planned.

Not surprisingly, it was Elaine who stepped up to talk next. Her very presence soothed away some of the icy anger still lingering in the room. She has a soft voice, a healing voice, and it filled the corners of the room with words like silk covered iron.

“There seemed to be a mistake,” she said softly. “Surely our dear younger sister had not committed, what was the crime again? Ensnaring Merlin? She was so very sweet, so unlikely to cast spells to ensnare so much as a fly, much less a fully grown, and extraordinarily powerful, sorcerer.”

Oh, her words were spoken so soothingly, and the content so sarcastic, that they made several of the members of the court wince embarrassed. The claims did seem ludicrous when voiced that way. They had not expected that, not from sweet Elaine, but then, they were fools. Elaine had practically raised Viviane. An insult to Viviane was an insult to her. And Elaine would not forget this insult anytime soon.

Morgause was also required to speak, otherwise she would not have gone up at all. She wore a light veil of black, shielding her eyes, so that they would not scare the members of the court. Kind of her, but I thought it was unnecessary. This court deserved to be scared. The sea water still scattered from Morgan's departure turned an eerie blood red. I idly wondered who would be dying soon. I wondered who in the court was thinking those same thoughts. Morgause does not like having so many eyes upon her. She meant to keep her piece brief, but ended up speaking in riddles instead.

 Over, under, traveling round.  Searching for what can't be found.  Rock or cave, they are not there  Nor can be found anywhere.  Beware circles, long they run  From setting moon, to rising sun.  Those who seek, those who ride  Cannot find what wants to hide.

Her words rang strangely through the hall. I sensed a premonition. The court breathed a sigh of relief when Morgause stepped down. And then they promptly, foolishly, forgot her words.

Nimue was next. Clad in shimmering Samite, a vision of white-blue silk that rippled like clear water as she walked, Nimue looked every inch the Lady of the Lady. Like Morgan, when she spoke, she commanded attention. Her regal bearing made her look more like the Queen of the Court than the actual Seelie Queen – a fact the Queen did not take kindly to. Nimue, unlike most of us, took the high road. Like Niniane, she told tales of Viviane's childhood, how she was good and kind, slightly mischievous, but not cruel or wanton as the court seemed to believe. She told of how she searched for her sister in water, much as Blasine had done, but also came to no avail. She could not be found. And she was genuinely worried that something terrible had befallen, not just to Merlin, but to Viviane too. She left the court with that sense of worry, and left them feeling as if they had not quite lived up to Nimue's ideals of the High Seelie Court.

My sisters had all spoken. No one had noticed me for a while. Which was exactly how I liked it. And it was about this time that the court was trying to remember, had seven spoken, or had eight? Ah, now it was my turn. Time for me to make my move. So the court was unmoved by pleas, pity, scorn, shame and threats. So I would unleash my gift. It really is a shame I don't have the same presence my sisters have.

The Seelie Court was surprised when I stood to take the floor. I guess they thought we were done. Or perhaps it was my unassuming looks. I do not flash and sparkle like my sisters. I am not dark and mysterious. I am, by all accounts, average. But then, the world looks perfectly normal before a violent storm. The court would never know what hit them. I stepped into the center and took the floor.

“Personally,” I drawled, “I think most of the court was just jealous that our beautiful sister might have snared the most powerful man from the court. Some believe that our family has enough power already without having to go out and ensnare other powerful figures to our blood.” Shock, outrage, understanding, caution, all flashed quickly through the eyes of those in the room. Those who got the emotions under control fastest were the ones I would be targeting. They were the ones hiding something. So I waited till the commotion died down before my next attack.

Now, to be fair, my sisters didn't know what I was going to do. But in my own way, I am predictable. They had expected something like this. You see, my power is over storms. And I was about to cause one hell of an emotional one.

“You think you are so smart. So tough. So you call an inquiry accusing our sister of something NO ONE can prove. To save your pride and perhaps gain you points when Merlin comes back. Well fools, what if he never comes back? Did you even think that far? You have now alienated eight of the most powerful Fae, not to mention our friends and family. Did you ever stop to think what might happen when you called this inquiry? Do you have any idea what your sorry lives would be like without the blessings of the water Fae?”

Ah, I believe the dawning was starting to grow. I could see them thinking. Thinking back on Morgan and Hermesent. Thinking of Elaine and Nimue. Thinking of all our relatives. Quite a few members blanched. Ah, yes. Now to offer them a way out of their current problem...

“I see you understand now. That is good.” I raised my hand for silence. I could see that apologies were about to be offered. I didn't want those. Not yet. “And I have a solution. A way you can redeem yourselves in my family's eyes. Though I can't speak for everyone, but I am certain that this will go a long way towards making amends.”

“I propose you do exactly what Morgan suggested. What Hermesent came here for. I suggest you call the Wild Hunt together and go Hunting for Viviane and Merlin! Today!”

Ah, my trap had sprung. The court fell over themselves in their haste to ride out and find Merlin and Viviane. To gain back the favor of Morgan and Hermesent. They should have listened to Morgause. More fools they. By now my sisters definitely know something is up. But like me, they are patient. I will tell them later, after the court has gone hunting.

I watch the court leave, turning toward the main doors. As I watch, I catch a wink from a pair of cats by the court doors. They turn and quickly blend into the leaving crowd. I smile. Morgause raises an eyebrow. She's seen them too. But she doesn't know the truth just yet. No one does. At times I admit, I am entirely too much like my mischievous pooka relatives. But then, I couldn't have told my sister's the truth. It would have spoiled the inquiry if they had known. Fae cannot lie, but we are adept at bending the truth. If my sisters didn't know where Viviane was, then they could honestly say that they didn't know.

So I hadn't told the family yet. I knew that Merlin and Viviane had not vanished, but had eloped and decided to go on an extended honeymoon at an undisclosed location. I certainly wasn't going to tell on them and spoil their fun. Especially after I just sent the entire Fae Court to find them in what was to become the longest wild goose chase in the history of the world. I trusted that if they didn't want to be found, they wouldn't. After all, Merlin is a master shapeshifter too.

.:.:.:.:.:.

This story came about after I asked myself several questions: What happens after Merlin dies? Does he die? And what about Viviane's family? How would they react? And for that matter, how would the court of Faerie react?

For those who aren't familiar with the Arthurian legends, you are in for a quick lesson. Now, there are several different "Arthurian Cycles" each giving different information...

The first mention of Morgan is as the chief of nine magical sisters who live on Avalon and heal Arthur. Morgan is the one sister who is consistently mentioned in all the tales. Her ancient name means "sea" and in some tales she has powers over the ocean. In fact, she is an ancient Celtic Goddess of the Sea. Not surprisingly, she is related to the sirens. And yes, there are some tales that say Oberon is her son.

There are many names for Morgan's sisters: Elaine, Morgause, Anna, Blasine, Hermesent. Sometimes Anna-Morgause is listed as one person, which I why I made them twins. Elaine is usually the eldest. Then Anna or Morgause is usually the second born. The most well know tradition has Morgan as the youngest of three sisters. But that is not always the case. Morgan is once the fifth born. In that tale, Blasine is the second born, and Hermesent is the fourth born. By making Anna and Morgause twins, I pushed back the Blasine to fourth, Hermesent to fifth and Morgan to sixth.

Then there's the Lady of the Lake. She also has many names: Nimue, Viviane, Elaine, Niniane, Nivian, Nyneve... I chose Nimue for the name of the Lady of the Lake, but I gave her identical sisters: Niniane and Viviane. It is not surprising, often the character of the Lady of the Lake was split into two different personalities: she who helps/heals, and she who traps/takes away. She is nearest to Morgan in powers. In fact, there are suspicions that they are from the same mythic background since they both have power over water and are from Avalon. Morgan does have a sister named Elaine... and so it wasn't hard for me to make the final three sisters variants of the Lady of the Lake.

In the Lancelot-Grail cycle, it is Viviane who traps Merlin forever, which I why I chose to have her run off with him, as apposed to Niniane or Nimue. I always liked the idea that Merlin "retired" from saving the world to be with a beautiful and powerful sorceress. I never really thought she would kill/trap him - to me it didn't make sense. Hence my happier ending.

As for the main character, well, Morgan has her stories, as does the Lady of the Lake, and even Morgause, but who knows about Anna? Her name is the most "normal" of all of them, and I suspect she is often overlooked.

Did anyone catch that Morgause's poem not only references the unsuccessful wild hunt in my version, but also Merlin's original imprisonment in the Arthurian tales? Merlin is either trapped in an invisible tower that is visible only to those inside it, under a rock, or in a cave.

Do I need to explain the Seelie Court? The Fae can be broken down into the "Seelie" and the "Unseelie." The Seelie are the "good" Fae - their very name means "blessed" and they are more apt to be helpful when humans run across them. Sure, they are still very deadly when crossed, but they won't kill humans on sight or for fun, like the Unseelie. Pooka - or pwca - are not members of either court. They are shapeshifting tricksters. And they are more Seelie than Unseelie, since they are willing to give humans advice and prefer to scare people rather than kill them.

Since Morgan is frequently known as Morgan le Fey, direct translation: Morgan the Fae, it only made sense to get the rest of Faerie involved. Or at least the Seelie Court where she holds some power. And by involving the court, wouldn't a court hold a trial about a missing person? And so the story came to be...