Disclaimer: I do not own "The Little Mermaid," or its characters. They are property of Hans Christian Andersen and the Walt Disney Company.
"Mermaids of Ortega"
By TwilightSparkle3562
Chapter 1
"After Trafalgar"
It had only been a few hours since the Battle of Trafalgar had come to a conclusion. Many brave men on both sides of the battle had given their lives for their country and for the royal Danish family, their lives had been spared by this great and violent battle. Now, the hunt for the remainder of the French navy was the main goal for the combined English and Danish navies.
But before they could leave to hunt the remaining ships, the burning of the ships that were destroyed in the Battle of Trafalgar had to take place. From the deck of the HMS Victory, Melody watched as the ships burned before her eyes, including the flagship of her family's Danish fleet.
"How are you feeling, Melody?" asked John, who had been appointed admiral following the death of his father, Horatio Nelson. Melody had been spellbound by the intense flames and was startled to hear her lover speak.
"John, you scared me," she gasped.
"I didn't mean to," replied John. "I just wanted to see how you were feeling after that ghastly attack on you during the battle."
Melody shivered at being reminded of when she nearly lost her innocence during the battle by a couple of perverted French soldiers. Had it not been for John's interference, those pigs would have succeeded in stripping Melody of not just her innocence, but also her dignity as a Princess of Denmark.
"I'm feeling fine," she said, grabbing John's hand. "I just want all this to be over, you know? How many more lives must we sacrifice for a worthless cause? Can't we all just get along like they do in Atlantica?"
"If only it were true, Melody," replied John as an explosion was heard, meaning that a ship had been sunk into the ocean. "But, I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. There are other empires in the world who don't share the same view as us."
Just then, they both looked down to see a partially burned French Empire flag floating the ocean before sinking into the depths below. Both Melody and John had come to view this as nothing more than the end of their innocence.
If the Battle of Trafalgar had proven one thing to both of them, it was that they were no longer able to maintain a childhood. They had been forced into accepting the majesty of an adulthood by cause of the battle that had just taken part and the battle that was looming over the horizon on the north coast of Spain.
"John?" called a voice and both John and Melody turned around to see Percy walking towards them.
"What is it?" asked John, saluting Percy as he walked towards them.
"You are wanted down below in your father's quarters," replied Percy, urgently. "They are discussing another admiral to join you in the impending battle."
John considered the matter for a moment, given the fact that he had just been appointed admiral upon his father's death. Up until that moment, John thought that he had been given sole control of the British fleet, but it appeared that he had misunderstood.
"I shall be down there at once," he said and after saying a brief goodbye to Melody, John followed Percy down to what was his father's quarters until his death.
Once down below, John was joined by several of his father's officers as well as King Eric and his officers. Sitting in his father's desk was a middle aged English navy officer with a short gray wig and a small moustache.
"Young Nelson," said the man. "There is an important matter that we need to discuss regarding the leadership of this navy for the next battle."
"What are you talking about, Sir Strachan?" asked John in surprise. "I thought that I was going to be in charge of the navy for the next battle?"
"Not quite," replied the middle aged man. "Yes, you have been appointed admiral of this navy. But, that was only because of your father's death. It's better that you are under the guidance of someone with experience and who knew your father well."
John didn't quite understand what was going on, but he had a tremendous amount of respect for Sir Strachan, who was a very good friend of not just his father, but also the entire Nelson family. At the same time, he knew that leading a navy into battle after having only been given the controls of the Navy for a short time was a very risky undertaking.
"It's not quite what I had in mind, Sir Strachan," replied John. "But, I can sense your understanding. You want me to learn what it means to lead an armada into battle?"
"That is exactly what I am talking about, boy," said Sir Strachan, remarking all of the English and Danish officers in attendance. "I can vouch for everyone in this room who can agree with me on this matter."
Sir Strachan then got up from Admiral Nelson's desk and walked over to John, placing a hand on the back of his neck and smiling at him.
"Your father would have wanted you to learn before doing anything rash," he said and John nodded, smiling at him in acknowledgment. "Will you accept my mentorship, Young Nelson?"
"Of course, Sir Strachan," replied John. "If it means fulfilling my father's wishes for the glory of our family and our empires."
So, John was placed under the wing of Sir Richard Strachan as plans of the next phase of the attack on the French and Spanish navies was starting to be planned out.
Meanwhile, in their newly established private quarters, Ariel sat on the edge of her bed that she shared with Eric and was reading from a large black book with the words "BIBLE" on the cover. If there was to be any hope of reasoning with her father, King Triton, and getting him to back down on finding the ship that killed her mother, Queen Athena, then she would need to get all the spiritual help she could muster. But, it wasn't going to be easy…