Devoted To My Beloved
Disclaimer: I don't own Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid. Only the respective company does. What if, Prince Fjord quickly realized that the raven-haired girl who saved his life was actually Marina instead of Princess Cecilia? This is the alternate but happy ending of what could've happened, if Prince Fjord defended Marina and all hell broke loose. Read & Review and please, no flames! Enjoy!
Now at the neighbouring kingdom, where the arranged marriage is taking place, trumpets were sounded and his parents, the King and Queen, led inside beside Fjord.
By meeting the King and Queen of Suomi, they all bow their heads in a sign of respect and loyalty.
A few minutes later, a black-haired woman known as Princess Cecilia of Suomi then confronts Fjord.
At first glance, he recognized her from before, back at the shore. However, he turns his head away and that's when he finally put all of the pieces together by having a vision: the woman who saved his life from the storm by staring at her for a brief second and passed out because of his blurred vision, the beautiful music from her harp and saving her life from the pack of wolves is really Princess Mermaid all along. By clenching his fist, he took another glance at Cecilia and responded back to her.
"I...I'm sorry. But, I refuse!"
The entire audience gasped in sheer bewilderment that Fjord refuses to accept Cecilia's hand in marriage and as everybody are left stammering in shock, he runs past his parents and exited the castle to find his one true love: Marina.
"What just happened?" says Cecilia sadly, glancing back at her mother, the Queen.
"It would appear that he's already in love with someone other than you."
"What a shame," says Cecilia's father, the King.
Jemmy the cat became very, very displeased that Fjord is still thinking about Marina and so, she exits the castle and pursues them.
Angered and disgusted that Fjord still thinks about Marina, the King and Queen make a direct order.
"I can't believe this! After all that we've done for him? He still thinks about that mute girl!"
"This has gone far enough! Guards! Find Fjord and bring him back here at once!"
"Yes, your majesty! And in regards to the mute girl?" asked one of the guards.
"When you find her, I want you to kill her!"
All of the guards became visibly shaken upon the Queen's shocking request.
"B-But, your majesty..."
She cuts off the guards' sentence. "Silence! That is a direct order! Now, go!"
The guards looked at each other for a brief second and have no other choice but to obey and bowed their heads slightly. "Y-Yes, your majesty. It shall be done."
While the guards locate Fjord and Marina, back down in the underwater kingdom, Marina's five sisters have told their father, the King and their grandmother everything about Marina; ranging from Marina making a deal with the Sea Witch to become a human by giving up her fins and voice to falling in love with the human prince that she saved from the horrific storm by staying at his fabled castle. Marina's dolphin friend, Fritz had also attended.
"I see. You did very well to tell me about what has happened to my youngest daughter" says the King. He than notices Fritz beginning to panic. "What's wrong, Fritz?"
The blue dolphin kept shaking his body. "I...I'm awfully worried about Marina. It's because I saw her get thrown into the dungeon."
The King gasped in shock. "What did you say? You must be joking!"
Fritz continued. "No, listen. I was curious as to how she's been doing in the surface world and when I swam up, I saw Marina and the human prince on-board a ship. I went in for a closer look and that's when I overheard an arranged marriage for the human prince to wed a princess from the Kingdom of Suomi by orders from his human parents. But not before they've arrested Marina for treason."
Marina's five sisters gasped in shock of Fritz's explanation.
"Oh, my" says Marina's grandmother.
The King narrowed his eyes and upon assuming that his precious daughter, Marina could be harmed in a very hurtful way, he stood up from his fabled throne.
Fritz became surprised of the King's expression. "What are you planning to do, your majesty?"
"Taking care of some business and to insure my daughter's safety."
Back on over to Fjord, he manages to find the room where Marina is, busy brushing her long fabled blonde hair in the mirror, when Fjord bolted the door open and immediately grabs Marina's hand. That's when he hears the sound of loud footsteps from incoming intruders and with no way out, he carries her bridal style, stepped up to the edge of the window and as Marina held him tightly, he warns her. "Hold on. It's going to get rough."
At the last moment, he jumps off the window with Marina in his arms, just as the guards and Lord Chamberlain came inside to see that Fjord has escaped with Marina.
"Curses! They went outside! Go and find them!"
The guards resume their search and as for Fjord and Marina, they've managed to use a flag banner to descend and land a little hard on the soft grass. From there, they continue their escape from Fjord's parents and the guards themselves.
Although they've suffered minor injuries from the fall that bestow on them, Fjord and Marina kept on running and holding their hands together. They've made it outside and by the time they've reached it, they only made it up to the shore. Fortunately, they've spotted the ship that they were on-board from earlier but, it's being heavily guarded and its anchor was already hoisted down into the river.
Fjord and Marina are now trapped with nowhere to run. He looks at Marina in her deep blue eyes. "Marina, stay behind me."
She slightly nodded her head, despite being unable to speak.
As Fjord prepares for his difficult battle yet, Jemmy the cat appeared from on top of the ledge and seizes the opportunity to get rid of Marina.
"Damn you, prince! I'll take care of this girl myself" With its loud growl, it pounced and ready to slit Marina's throat with its razor sharp claws. "Die, wench!"
Marina gasped in horror to see Jemmy looking to slay her and turns her head away.
Luckily for Fjord, he swiftly saw Jemmy leaping towards Marina and stabs her right into her chest with his sword.
Upon receiving the harsh wound she received from Fjord and with blood pouring out of her furry chest, she responds in her weakened condition. "H-How...could...you? My...plan...was flawless."
Fjord raised his eyebrow in curiosity. "What plan?" He gasped in shock and realized that it was Jemmy who tricked his mother and father into marrying another woman from another country. "Wait a minute. So, it was you! You've setup my parents!"
Jemmy continued, while she slowly dies. "Aren't you...that gullible? Ever since...she...came...here, I...became jealous and so...I've...deceived them...about that...mute girl...and your...arranged...marriage."
Not wanting to hear anymore of her excuses, Fjord points his sword at Jemmy while restraining her and makes a proclamation. "I've had enough of you. Farewell, Jemmy." With that being said and done, he stabs her again in the chest with his sword and Jemmy was declared dead.
As he released his sword from Jemmy's furry chest, blood was stained on it and by the time he wipes it, he sees numerous guards being led by Lord Chamberlain and his parents, the King and Queen.
They were all armed with swords, crossbows, bows with arrows and even maces to confront Fjord and also to take Marina's life.
The young prince is prepared to take them all on and that's when his parents made an ultimatum.
"Fjord, as your father, the King, I order you to surrender your weapon and be married to Princess Cecilia at once!"
Before the Queen could speak, she sees that Jemmy the cat is found dead. "Jemmy..." She stares at Fjord with an angered look. "You killed her! Why?"
"It was the only way, Mother. Jemmy tricked you all about Princess Mermaid and the arranged marriage. She deceived you!"
Lord Chamberlain retorted. "Such utter nonsense! You expect us to believe you? Now, stand aside! We want that mute girl dead!"
Marina could only look on in horror and stood behind Fjord in fear.
Fjord looked at Marina for a brief moment and saw some sadness in her eyes. Than, he turns back to them by making a shocking statement. "No! I won't do it! If you want to kill her, than you will kill me as well! That way, we will die happily together!"
Both the Queen and King became very shocked of Fjord's sacrifice for his love to Marina. Even Lord Chamberlain and the guards were feeling the same way.
Just as things were about to become more hectic, the water was starting to boil from behind Fjord and Marina on the shore and as they both turned around, a tall, grey bearded man with a crown on its head rose up from the water. He has a stern look on his face.
"Who...Who the devil are you?" asked Lord Chamberlain in fear.
"I am the King of the Mermen and you will do no such harm to my daughter, Marina."
Everybody became very stunned that they're confronting not only the Sea King, but is also the fact that the mute girl is really her daughter.
Fjord kindly asks him. "Hold on. You mean that Princess Mermaid is actually Marina, all along and you're her father?"
He turns to Fjord. "Indeed, she is. And you are the human that my daughter had saved you from the storm, correct?"
Although visibly shaken, he nods his head. "Why, yes. Everything is now making complete sense." He turns to Marina. "You're the one that saved my life!"
With a warm smile on her beautiful face, she nodded and with that, Fjord opened his arms and it allowed Marina to throw her arms around his neck while he threw his around her waist as they embrace and shed tears of joy.
Upon realizing that Fjord was telling the truth and seeing that Marina was his one true love, the King and Queen could feel their heart being filled with regret and shame as they ordered their guards and Lord Chamberlain to lower their weapons and confront both Marina, her father and Fjord.
As they stood a sweep distance away from them, they both shared their words to Marina's father, the King of the Mermen.
"I can't say how I'm feeling right now. I'm very sorry."
"We both have no reason for what we did to her and from what we've thought and assumed of her, we...please forgive us." Both she and the King bowed their heads, once more.
By looking at them and even the happy couple including the Sea King, Lord Chamberlain also joined in and bowed his head too.
Marina's father nods his head. "Forgiven and forgotten." He goes back to Fjord. "She really does love you, doesn't she?"
"Of course. Back at the chapel, I thought that Princess Cecilia was the one who saved me from drowning. But when my memories came back to me, it became very clear that it was really Princess...no, Marina, that rescued me from that awful storm and I soon realized she is my one true love."
Tears were flowing down from Marina's cheeks upon listening to Fjord's confession.
By glancing back at her daughter, he replied. "Well, than. There's just only one way to settle this dispute."
"What would that be?" asked Fjord to him.
Underneath his grey beard, he smiled. "How much that I will truly miss my daughter."
As everyone stood there looking dumbfounded and also surprised, the King of the Mermen gives Marina a vile of blue potion. It was just like from before, only it was given to her by the Sea Witch in a vile in red and now, it was the King of the Mermen's turn. "Drink this, Marina."
She takes the vile from her father and tries to speak, but she couldn't. All due to the fact of having her voice taken away from the Sea Witch.
He explains to her. "This potion will not only make you fully human...but to also have your voice restored."
Feeling genuinely happy of her father's assistance, she drinks up the vile and swallowed it until it was completely empty. Than, within several seconds, something wonderful has happened: she had finally spoken. "Prince?"
"Marina!" cried Fjord, as he picked her up in his arms and swung her around.
Fjord and Marina turns to the King, Queen and Lord Chamberlain as they all nod their heads in agreement. They also glanced at Marina's father and he too nods his head. By looking into each other's eyes with heart-warming smiles on their faces, their lips have met in a very passionate feeling.
That kiss also happened on their wedding day as Fjord and Marina are now happily married.
The lovely newlywed head on-board to their fabled ship and as they prepare to set sail on their new journey, there stood Marina's father, the King down below, along with her grandmother, her five sisters and even her best dolphin friend, Fritz. They all made a tearful farewell on Marina's new life with Fjord.
Marina's father rose with Fritz in his arms and greets her daughter, before her departure.
Even though that Marina feels very happy to be married to Fjord, she feels very saddened that she cannot see her father, her grandmother, her five sisters or Fritz anymore. As she shed tears once again, she kisses Fritz on its forehead and threw her arms on her father's back; and so did he. "I love you very much, father."
"And I do too, Marina." He released his heart-warming hug from Marina and by turning to Fjord, the latter bows at the King and he bows back at his new son-in-law.
Right after that, both Marina and Fjord waved goodbye to everyone on their ship. And than, they kissed once more.
Marina has finally found her true love with her newlywed husband, Fjord and is looking forward to a very bright future.
FIN