When the Selkie Returned to Prince Fionn
The Legends Reborn
Many tales speak of selkies pursued by mortal folk. In the story of The Selkie Wife, she is stalked by a zealous fisherman who watches her dancing with her fellows from behind rocks. He steals her sealskin and holds her captive as his wife until she finds her skin and returns to the sea, leaving him bereft and alone even after giving birth to his children.
Yet in The Legends Reborn the liminal encounter at the Headland followed Fionn home. Enchanted by the memory of a strange seal, Fionn slept unaware of the drenched shadow moving through the darkened royal house.
When the hide curtain rustled, the prince was found fast asleep even as wet footprints led to his bed. The shadow stretched its arm to snatch the pouch next to the prince's head and picked a small, glimmering piece from it. Then it seemed to become part of her once more.
Just as the figure traced its way back to the hanging hide, the prince woke in his bed. He felt something amiss and reached instinctively for the candle at his bedside. Lifting it high he called out into the darkness. The flame trembled, casting long shadows towards the curtain, yet there was nothing there save the glimmer of water upon the floor and the lingering scent of the sea. With a vague unease he turned back into sleep – the edges of his mind still caught in that uncertain moment.
