The first sensation Eric had felt was a cool hand running up the side of his body, then coming to rest on his abdomen. Something pressed into the side of his leg and as he fluttered his eyes open, he saw a beautiful girl. He groaned, as he felt her breeches grow tighter. He struggled to sit up, but the girl put her hand as his shoulder and pushed him back down, ssshhh-ing him.

"You need rest." She insisted, and began to sing the most beautiful song he had ever heard.

"I need you." He muttered quietly, reaching a hand out for her face.

She grabbed his hand and finished her song, her eyes surveying him again and stopping at his hips. Inquisitively, she pressed the lump that had so-recently formed. "Oh!"

He couldn't help but laugh at the curiosity, the innocence, but he reassured her. "No, it's okay. You-"

He didn't get to finish what exactly she should because a voice interrupted.

"Eric!"

Who could possibly need him now, at such a terrible time?

"Eric!" Eric then recognized the voice. Grimsby. Of course.

He turned to say something to the woman, to reassure her that everything was fine, invite her back to the palace, but she was already gone.

It was an easy scene to return to, in fact, it was a hard scene to escape. Ariel hadn't quite been clued in to the impropriety of sleeping in a man's bed before they were married, but Eric would be dammed before he would tell her that. She fell asleep so quickly, nestled up in his arms, with one leg hooked over his hips. Eric had more trouble falling asleep, trying to divert his thoughts and calm down, but she would move against him and the process would start all over.

"Are you still tired? It's almost nine." Ariel said, flopping down on his chest.

"Hm? No, uh, I'm fine. Just thinking." Eric said, rubbing her back.

"Good, well, let's get up! There's so much to do."

Eric knew that there was, in terms of duties and royal behaviors, but Ariel meant more than that – she always did. She had been here near a week, and every day she had demanded to see more of the world; the innerworkings of the palace, the caves, the beach. Everything Eric had taken for granted, it being so known to him now, she had never experiences. And she had given up so much to see it, surely it was time?

"Well, let's get you dressed then!" Eric smiled, slipping out of his room and a few doors down, back into hers.

Technically, a handmaiden should be helping Ariel with this, but it was the only intimacy he had the nerve to breech with her, so he asked her to tell the staff she already knew how to dress herself. He never saw her naked, but there was only a thin shift between them, and he could imagine every curve and point of her body easily enough.

He helped her pull her corset under her breasts and tie it, loosely enough that she could still breathe. He helped pull her stockings up over her leg and knee, squeezing her brand new thighs as she giggled at how it tickled.

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him softly. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said sincerely. "A lot. You know that?"

She nodded vigorously and kissed him again. Still holding her thighs he pushed her back onto the bed, sliding his knee between her thighs and kissing her lips, her neck, her chest. Her breathing quickened and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He ran his hand up her leg, feeling how cool her skin was, even after being out of the water for so long.

Rap Rap. "Princess Ariel, be you sick? 'Tis past nine-o-clock!"

Eric let out a shaking breath as a maid came to stir Ariel awake. Great timing.

"Don't let her in." he muttered into Ariel's neck.

"I'm awake, I'm up!" Ariel cried out cheerfully. "Just getting dressed." Eric snickered at this.

"I'll come help – oh!" The maid opened the door, seeing the unmarried couple splayed out on the bed and on top of each other. She quickly shut the door.

"Shit." Eric mumbled, rolling off Ariel and following the maid out the door.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Ariel asked, calling after him.

The maid hadn't gotten far, though she was walking at a good pace.

"Excuse me?" Eric called out.

"Oh, your highness." The maid spun around and dropped into a deep curtsey, refusing to meet his eye.

"I'm sorry you had to-"

"I never meant to interrupt, I didn't know, I'm very sorry your highness."

"No, no, no." Eric shook his hands. "My apologies to you. But, let's just keep this between us, alright?"

"But sire-" the maid wrung her hands, thinking over the impropriety of it all. But she nodded. "Alright. Of course."

"Thank you." Eric breathed. He'd find some way to reward her.

He knew what he was doing, what they were doing, was improper, but he just couldn't bring himself to see it as wrong. He loved Ariel, he wanted her, all of her. And she wanted him too. She kissed him back, she wrapped her arms around him, she was always smiling and giggling and pressing herself against him. She clearly did not also understand the propriety at stake, but she didn't seem to care, so why should he? Up until a few minutes ago, they were good at keeping everything under wraps. And they hadn't even had sex yet, so what was the threat?

Eric bid the maid good-day and turned back to Ariel's room.

"Was she terribly embarrassed?" Ariel asked.

"A little, but I think she'll be fine." Eric said.

"So what're we going to do today?" Ariel said cheerfully.

"Do you want to go out to the water?" Eric said.

"Always!" Ariel said excitedly.

"Fantastic. But first," he smiled. "let's finish getting you dressed."

…

Ariel excitedly held up a starfish. "Look!"

"Oh, how beautiful." Eric smiled.

Clouds rolled and rumbled over them, and the beach was completely empty. Though they were far from royal land, having spent the day slowly swimming their way down, no one else was out on the beach.

"I found another shell." Eric offered a small conch shell.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Ariel said, opening her small red shell bag. "Here, let me make sure no one is living in it."

"We don't want to bring too many friends back to the palace."

Little did they know, they could've used all the friends they could find, for an unfriendly man with a friendly face was arriving at the palace as they spoke. But they were far from royal land, and the messengers who ran about the palace searching for their prince would be sorely disappointed, as he sat with his love in the water, looking at shells.

Lightning streaked across the sky as thunder rumbled.

"A storm is coming." Eric muttered, sliding over to where Ariel sat in the shallows.

"Does that mean we should go?"

"Do you want to?" Eric asked, leaning in to kiss her, and pulling her onto his lap.

"How could you expect me to say no after that?"

Eric pulled her into deeper water, running his hands down her waist, over her bottom, and to the tops of her thighs, where he pulled her up and onto him. She wrapped her legs instinctually around his hips and settled into him, sighing against his lips. He regretted dressing her instantly.

Her skirts billowed around them, creating too much excess space, too much between them. He pushed them back, but the depth of the water and the energy he spent both keeping them afloat and pushing her skirts back meant there was nothing they could do besides kiss, anyway.

Ariel pushed her hands under his shirt, feeling the smooth planes of his muscles and liking how he bent towards her touch. Eric, with a bump, hoisted her up higher and settled her on his body before her skirts could rush back down. She felt something pressing up between her legs that wasn't there only a moment ago but it felt good to have something pressing against her like that. She ground herself into him, liking how it felt to be so close, and wishing she could be closer.

Eric moaned and leaned his head back, kicking them into shallowed water, where he could finally stand.

"I love you." Ariel muttered.

The storm finally broke over them and the rain poured down. Ariel screamed, in excitement, in surprise, to express the feeling that were being pent up within her that needed to get out, someway, somehow, but she just couldn't seem to manage it.

Eric slipped one hand over the inside of her thigh and Ariel bucked a little at the new sensation. Eric paused, but she kissed him fervently still, moving to his ear, his neck, so he continued into this new territory.

He ran his finger up between her folds, stopping at her clit and rubbing it gently and in circles. Ariel sighed and stopped kissing him for only a moment, resting her forehead against his.

"Faster." She said, pushing herself harder onto his hand. "That feels so good."

Eric smiled, but felt his own erection grow stronger to the point where he would burst, and wished for some relief. He felt a moment of selfish pride that he was the first person to ever touch her in this way, that he was the person to not only get to show her the human world, but some of the special joys of being human.

He set her against his covered erection again, making her moan in anticipation, but rub up against him. He took pulled the laces on the front of her top and pushed it open, revealing her shift, soaked through. Her breasts were small, her nipples pointed, and he could've, would've fucked her right there if he had let himself give in. But she deserved a slow build, to enjoy every step of her first time, and he didn't want to push her too far, too quickly.

Ariel began grinding into him, desperate for more attention, and he pulled the tie on her shift, letting it fall beneath her breasts. He held her up in the water with his left hand, and squeezed her breast with his right, rubbing his thumb over her nipple and fondling it gently.

"You're so beautiful," he mumbled kissing her hard.

"Eric do something," Ariel pled, not having the words to describe the release she wanted.

Kissing her neck, sucking on it hard, he reached his right hand back between her thighs. She was receptive to this, opening her legs further and leaning her head back to give him more space, more permission, to fill her up and take her now.

Eric rubbed her clit with more vigor this time, then paused. As she leaned her head up, he, very carefully, slid two fingers within her. She gasped and clenched, but relaxed almost right after, pressing into his fingers and he moved in and out, in and out.

"How does that feel?" he asked.

"Amazing." She said. "Like nothing I've ever felt before."

Eric reached his thumb up to continue rubbing her clit. "And that?"

"Even better." She sighed, hardly moving at all. "What are you even doing?"

"I'm inside you." He said.

"Does it feel good for you?"

"Knowing that I'm making you feel good? Yes. There's more we can do, but we can get to that later."

"No, now!" Ariel moaned. She wanted more, and she wanted Eric to feel as undone as she felt. She felt her body contract and felt very warm and relaxed all of the sudden.

Eric kissed her full on the lips, reminding himself that she had never possibly seen a penis before, and that sex was all very new to her. "Soon." He promised, kissing her forehead. "But we should get back to the palace, before Carlotta thinks we've drowned."

…

The couple, soaking wet, ran back into the palace, laughing.

"Where have you been?" Grimsby demanded.

"Just down at the beach, Grim. Is something wrong?" Eric asked.

Grimsby toddled from foot to foot. "Your cousin is here."

"Cousin-"

"Cousin Derek, yes."

"I'm taking Ariel to the library, tell him I'll be with him shortly." Eric said curtly.

"What's wrong?" Ariel said, noticing the strong intensity with which Eric let her away, not talking, moving quickly, his arm protectively around her.

"Derek is always causing trouble."

"Is he that bad?"

"Worse." Eric said honestly. "I'll explain more later, I promise. But for now, please, just stay here."

"Is he going to hurt me?"

I don't know. "No." Eric said firmly, with a forced smile. "I would never let anything happen to you."