"Ariel! Ariel!"

The call fell on deaf ears as the red-haired mermaid swam up to the source of the bright lights. She knew that if Sebastian wasn't going to tell her father about her secret grotto, he was definitely going to tell him about her swimming to the surface. But she had to see what it was. She had to.

As she broke through the water, sighing as the air of the human world filled her nostrils, she saw something large in front of her. Sweeping her bang out of her face, her eyes widened and she felt her jaw slack as she took in the sight in front of her. A ship! Just like the ones she saw underneath the sea. Except this one had some sort of lights coming from it, causing an array of colors to brighten the dark sky. She has never seen anything so wonderful in her entire life! Without hesitation, she swam towards it, her curiosity guiding her more than her own fin.

As she got closer, she heard what sounded like music and laughter. There were humans on this ship. Actual real-life humans! With all the strength she could muster, she climbed up the side of the ship, her fin flapping as it wasn't used to being out of the water. The music got louder and she could hear the...what were they called again? Footsteps! She could hear the footsteps of the humans on the ship. There was a small opening on the side of the ship, big enough where she could see what was going on without anyone seeing her.

Looking across the area, she saw men jumping around and what looked like dancing. They were laughing and drinking something, some even playing the snorfblat! The sight was filled with so much life and happiness that if it wasn't for her lower half, she would've gladly joined them. However, something, or better yet someone, caught her attention.

A girl was sitting on the steps, her brown hair falling in front of her face. She appeared to be reading a book that Ariel couldn't see the title of. She brushed her hair back with one hand and Ariel heard a gasp leave her own mouth. The girl's bright hazel eyes were darting across the page, shining with so much excitement and wonder. Her pink lips appeared to be mumbling some of the words from the book and there was a slight blush on her pale skin. Her brown hair was wet from the mist of the ocean and was tied into a ponytail, a blue bow on the back of it. The few strands that left her ponytail, framed her face and truly did bring out her beauty. A soft sigh left Ariel, as she watched the beautiful girl read her book. If it wasn't for her fin, she would've went up to her and talked with her. Maybe ask her what she was reading or tell her how beautiful she is. If only she didn't have a fin.

Suddenly, something gray and hairy appeared in front of Ariel and she gasped, immediately moving to the side of the opening, hoping no one saw her. The sound of panting close by her ear caused her to turn around and she came face to face with a shaggy animal with a large mouth. The animal licked the side of Ariel's face before running off. Ariel placed a hand on the spot and watched the animal leave, smiling at the feeling on her cheek.

The animal had ran over to someone, jumping and running around them, causing the person to laugh. Ariel's eyes widened as they landed on their face. The human the animal ran up to was clearly a guy and Ariel felt herself getting sucked in to his shining blue eyes. His ebony colored hair contrasted perfectly with his tan skin and Ariel felt a smile stretch across her face at his own. His smile was so bright and contagious, it seemed like everything around him blurred, causing her to only focus on him.

"Ariel!" Ariel broke out of her gaze as she heard an all too familiar voice. "Quite a show, heh?"

Ariel turned around, facing the loud seagull. "Scuttle, be quiet, they'll hear you!" She turned back to the ship, hoping no one did hear him. Hoping 'he' didn't hear him. Or 'her'.

Scuttle settled next to Ariel and Ariel gripped his beak to keep him from saying anything else. She loved that seagull, but hated that big mouth of his. She glanced back at the human playing with the dog and all the tension she had before, disappeared.

"I've never seen a human so close before," Ariel spoke, moreso to herself than the seagull. The human was now playing the snorfblat and dancing with the large animal and Ariel couldn't help but sigh at the sight. "He's very handsome, isn't he?"

"I don't know, he looks kind of hairy and slobbery to me." Scuttle mistakened, causing Ariel to shake her head with a chuckle.

"Not that one, the one playing the snorfblat," Ariel told the seagull.

Suddenly the music stopped as a skinny, elderly man with a large nose walked to the center. The girl that was sitting off to the side, looked up and it looked like the moon had shown a spotlight on her the way her skin glowed. She closed her book and smiled. If Ariel thought the guy's smile was bright, her's rivaled the stars at night. Ariel tapped her bird best friend, her eyes watching the girl's every move.

"Scuttle, look!" She told him, directing his attention the brunette woman. "Isn't she beautiful?"

Ariel didn't even realize the softness in her tone as she spoke about the woman, but Scuttle did. However, the sound of the old man's voice a little closer than before caused Ariel to hide again, her shoulders tensing and her jaw clenching as she hoped no one saw her.

"Oh, Eric, it isn't me alone," The old man told the human and Ariel's grin grew as she heard the name. Eric...it fit him well. "The entire kingdom wants to see you happily settled down with the right girl."

Ariel's interest grew at the sentence. Settled down with the right girl? Eric sat on the side of the ship that Ariel was hiding behind, causing her to look up. He looked majestic, almost like a god. The moon looked like a halo behind his head and his eyes shone like the stars behind him.

"Well, she's out there somewhere," He spoke, his voice soothing Ariel's ears like a massage. "I just...I just haven't found her yet."

Maybe, Ariel thought. Maybe she's not so far.

"Oh Grimsby," Ariel's eyes darted to the brunette woman, who has finally spoken. "Lay off, Eric's just looking for the right girl for him."

Her voice was so soft and melodic, Ariel thought she was listening to a song just from the girls' voice.

"Well, he clearly isn't looking hard enough," The old man called Grimsby started. Ariel cocked her head to the side as she looked at the woman. Belle she was called. Belle. The name echoed in Ariel's mind as she smiled at the woman. Belle fit her.

"Believe me, Grim, when I find her I'll know," Eric spoke, his voice confident. "Without a doubt, it'll just-bam!-hit me, like lightning."

The sound of lightning caused Ariel to turn around and her face dropped as she saw a lightning bolt flash across the sky. The winds started to push harder and the waves below her were crashing violently, the water falling from above, drenching her. The sound of loud yelling and heavy footsteps running, along with the loud crash of waves and thunder, rung in her ears as she gripped onto a nearby rope. She glanced at Scuttle, who seemed to be calling for her but with all the ruckus she couldn't hear. In a second, the wind had blown him away and Ariel knew it was only a matter of time before it do the same to her.

"Eric, come on!" Belle shouted at him amongst the chaos. A lifeboat was being filled with the many sailors on board and she refused to leave without him.

The wind seemed to push harder, as if it wanted Ariel to fall back into the sea. Ariel attempted to hold onto the rope, but just like Scuttle, the wind caused her to fall back into the sea. The current was strong and seemed to nearly carry her away. But she couldn't. A flash of blue and hazel eyes flashed across her mind and, with all her strength, she pulled herself up above the water to see what was going on.

The ship had crashed into a rock, causing many people on board to fall off. Luckily, she noticed Belle and Eric were safely in a smaller boat, helping to pull the other deserted sailors to safety. A small sigh left her, happy to see the two were alright. However, the sound of a...bark, perhaps? Anyway, it caught her ear and she turned to see the hairy animal from before still on board. She gasped at the sight, but her heart seemed to gain thirty pounds when she saw Eric dive into the sea, swimming towards the ship. Was he going back on the ship?

Ariel heard Belle calling his name and it seemed like she was going to follow him, however she got held back by two burly sailors. Her eyes watched Eric climb up the ship, worry and fear shining in them. Ariel cursed at herself as she wished that she had legs so she could follow him.

Suddenly, the hairy animal was tossed off board and Ariel looked up to see Eric still on the ship. Confused and worried, Ariel swam a bit closer. However, her movements were stopped when she saw the ship explode. A large cloud of orange, red, and black filled the sky and Ariel had to dodge some of the debris that fell from parts of the ship. Remembering who was on the ship, Ariel swam towards it, ignoring the voice in her head telling her to turn around. She needed to make sure he was okay, she needed to.

Her blue eyes darted across the vast waters, looking for any sign of the young found him. His unconscious body was laying on top of a block of wood and Ariel felt her throat clench as his body fell under water. Without hesitation, she went in after him, pulling him to the top of the waters. She had to get him to his land and fast!

Chapter one. This is how I imagined The Little Mermaid if Belle was in it as well. This is going to be a story between her and Ariel though, but we do need to have Eric in it for some drama, of course.