And so it was that Viviane and Merlin agreed to be married when she came of age. After defeating her father in what outwardly appeared to be a fair duel, Merlin swept Viviane off her feet and carried her back to his boat, which he had used to cross the Channel; though not before she had cast a particularly nasty curse upon the worst of her suitors.
Viviane naturally expected her fiancé to take her back to Britain to introduce her to his parents, but to her surprise, Merlin pressed on southwards, almost as if picking up a wife in France had only been one of many planned stops on his journey. With little choice in the matter, she accompanied him as they sailed along the coast, venturing further from Avalon than any Great Fairy ever had before.
Within weeks, they had passed Gibraltar on their frail embarkation and entered the Mediterranean Sea. At this point, Merlin still had not taught Viviane any magic, and as they travelled further and further from the seat of the Great Fairies' power, the ley lines specific to the British Isles, she began to lose her limited ability to manipulate water and see through lies, and she began to grow afraid.
When Viviane asked Merlin why he was going against their deal, he merely laughed.
"Rubbing ogham runes is a thing of the past," he explained as they sailed. "For one thing, the magic of the earth and moon is far too unreliable, since it requires one's two feet to be planted firmly on the ground, preferably near a ley line."
"Even so…"
Viviane had never been so insulted in her life.
The magic of the Greater Fairies, antiquated!? Of course, she had to admit she could not fully draw out an ogham's power in this human form, but that was precisely why she needed to learn how the humans did it! This was the magic of the Druids of old, which Merlin ought to have learned from his forefathers; the very same magic that had once terrified man at the dawn of humanity, back when they still wrapped themselves in animal hides.
She then sniffed at her clothes. Spun wool; not much of an improvement over animal pelts.
"I would rather show you something far more useful, which is why I've been holding off on teaching you magic," Merlin said, eyeing the horizon. "The Greeks and the Romans have been using a far better method of casting spells for several hundred years now, and it's about time we Britons caught up… and that is one of the two reasons we are currently sailing towards Rome: to bring back a wandmaker to Britannia."
"A wandmaker?" Viviane echoed.
"This is a wand," Merlin said, drawing what looked like a polished stick of wood. "This one was won by my great-great-great- etc., etc. -great-grandfather from a Roman spellcaster when the Roman army landed in Britannia, three hundred and fifty years ago or so," he explained. "As much as I'd like to, I can't teach you my magic yet, because I have only the one wand… but once we reach Rome, we shall be able to obtain one for you. They say Oleander the Greek is the best, so that is whom we are aiming for."
Viviane was confused.
"Oleander… the Greek?" she said. "I thought Romans lived in Rome?"
"Greece is a part of the Roman Empire, just like Britannia," Merlin explained lightheartedly. "They say all roads lead to Rome; people from all over the world gather there. It is nothing like my home, where the most foreign people that you'll ever meet will be Irish, Caledonian or Pict."
Viviane was begrudgingly impressed. Along the way, they had made many stops to trade and barter with the local Wizarding clans, and she had seen how far Roman influence extended with her own two eyes. In the blink of an eye, this group of humans had gained supremacy over all others…
"Must be nice," she said. "Having such a great empire…"
The Romans would be a threat the Greater Fairies would have to take seriously once she and her sister restored Avalon. Humanity had grown far too full of itself…
"They're not having an easy time of it, if that's what you were thinking," Merlin said. "Just as Britannia suffers from Danish and Saxon raids, so is the Roman Empire beset by those who covet its wealth… only a thousand times worse, due to its size. That is why they cannot afford to protect Britannia from the Saxons any longer, and why we Britons must take matters into our own hands…"
Merlin's gaze grew distant.
"I predict the Roman Empire will not last more than another ten years…" he said, his voice trailing off… then he snapped out of his trance and grinned at his fiancée. "Just don't repeat what I've just said when we get there; you'll get us in trouble."
Viviane pouted. She was a bit airheaded, but she wasn't stupid.
"So, you want a wandmaker," she said. "What's the second reason you wanted to visit Rome?"
"Did I say that?" Merlin said mildly.
Viviane scowled at him.
"It's a surprise," he said enigmatically. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised…"
Although her Fairy magic was rapidly fading due to the sheer distance separating her from her homeland, Viviane could still sense that Merlin was telling the truth. And so, her fear of her own powerlessness gradually ebbed as the winds carried them ever eastwards, towards the capital of the known world. Excitement filled her heart, knowing that no Great Fairy had ever ventured this far from home.
After all, Great Fairies had never changed in a million years, but humans… they were always changing and milling about like ants. The weak humans were fascinating to watch, but then again, messing about with humans had long been a pastime of the Great Fairies, so perhaps she had not changed all that much after all, Viviane told herself. In all honesty, she found that she did not hate this change of pace as much as she had expected, and so, she began looking forward to seeing more of what humans had to offer.
And a few weeks later…
"Land ho!" Merlin cried. "Italia, straight ahead!"
Merlin watched forlornly as his fiancée rushed to the prow to catch a glimpse of the jewel of civilisation. The little Fairy he had taken for a wife was still untainted by the darkness of humanity, but as much as he wished to prevent what was to come, he knew it was her fate to witness the depths of depravity that Muggles and Wizards could offer, even if it meant she would come to despise humanity with all her soul…