A/N: A similar love story in a different time. Written simply because I wanted to write a romance story. Ariel and Eric tie in at the end of the story, but it will seem entirely uninvolved from the film up until the end (and even then, this is mostly an original story in the same universe).

I do not claim ownership to anything in this story.

Crashing Waves

Chapter One

Elise Adeler had always been considered rather strange. Withdrawn and quiet, her wide green eyes always seemed vacant, as though she was only present in a physical sense, her consciousness constantly wandering to far off corners of her mind. Her caretakers and other members of her palace staff expressed concern about her peculiar nature to her parents throughout the years, but to a royal family, children like Princess Elise were a blessing; beautiful and silent, like a perfect doll to be shown off when needed, and forgotten about when not.

And her parents sadly forgot about her often, the hectic lifestyle that came along with running a kingdom sweeping them away from their only child more often than not, leaving Elise to entertain herself for years on end. This made her independent to the point of loneliness, growing up without many true friends in the world, and instead finding comfort through text. Elise was frequently found reading by the sea if her palace duties permitted it, her tiny body tucked up amongst the rocks by the shore, the salty sea air tussling her long, chocolate brown locks.

But Elise never despaired, nor did she resent her parents for their limited time with her. She loved her parents dearly, and cherished the time they spent together, just as her parents enjoyed every second with their daughter. She would instead appreciate the beautiful ocean that surrounded her, and the hot sun that beat down on her wavy hair, bringing out faint freckles over her cheeks and nose.

Overall, she was a happy girl. For a time, at least. Upon reflection, Elise knew that her contentment would be sure to end; all good things came to an end, in time.

Her mother's death was a sudden one: the Queen was a strong woman, tall and graceful, her beauty and cunning having secured her marriage with the King years ago. She hardly rested, but her duty to the kingdom drove her forward, and the people loved their beautiful queen for it. They later blamed her untimely death for it, her sudden collapse in court signifying the end of her reign.

Elise lost her shining optimism on that day, and she found herself sitting upon the rocky shore with tears in her eyes rather than a book in hand. She and her kingly father hardly ever spoke; the dynamic was even more strained without the Queen. When her father remarried years later, Elise was entirely pushed to the side.

Her duties as heir were simple, and aside from balls and important dinners, she was hardly seen within the palace. The King was now distracted by his new wife, Emma; the widow of a powerful lord from their kingdom. She was a cold woman, manipulative and calculating. Her beauty was also a cold one to behold: black hair formed a harsh widow's peak, her dark features striking against her pale white skin. With her she brought a son, a young man of twenty-one, only three years Elise's senior.

It was common knowledge that Queen Emma had every intention of marrying her son to Princess Elise, although Elise doubted that her father would consent to such a marriage. The young princess had never entertained the notions of an arranged marriage in the past, finding the entire situation too cold and unfeeling to be healthy. With her father's reign having been so stable and prosperous, she didn't think there was a need. She hoped that her father's love for her exceeded his greed.

But Elise, now nineteen, was of ripe marrying age, and found herself frequently worrying about what the future may hold for her. She found her mind drifting to the familiar subject as she submerged her bare feet in the cool ocean waters, the edges of her skirts now wet with saltwater.

She was feeling rather gloomy on that day, a mood that she was becoming increasingly familiar with, and sighed heavily.

"Come now Elise, none of that," she scolded herself quietly, her voice nearly lost among the sounds of the ocean. "Father's just about forgotten about you, I doubt your future is a very pressing issue at the moment."

Nothing will change for a while, she thought, lost in melancholy. People come and go, but my life remains the same.

She may have been a princess, but Elise's life never seemed to be of much importance to anyone.

Several feet away, while the palace allowed quiet Elise to slip from memory, a boy by the name of Jason watches her from a distance. Eyes as blue as the waters surrounding them peered over a nearby rock periodically, catches glimpses of the girl he's made a habit of observing throughout the years.

I wish I could swim closer, he thought. I've never seen a human up close before.

Merlin, he'd hardly seen any other humans before, aside from her. He watched as she rested her back against the warm surface of the rock she frequently visited, her eyes drifting closed. Jason watched for a moment more before deciding that she'd fallen asleep, dipping his head back beneath the surface of the water, a slight smile on his face.

Elise had a way of always making him smile, despite the fact that they'd never officially met. Jason had discovered her peculiar habit of sitting out by the sea over a year ago, and in turn made it his habit to watch over her from time to time. Her routine was strange; most of the humans from the palace observed the sea from the sandy shore, but Elise climbed over the rocks, hopping from surface to surface, until she was too far away from the palace to be seen. And then she'd sit for hours, either reading, talking to herself, or simply gazing out at the scenery.

She was a strange little human, and Jason found himself infatuated by her. She was beautiful, and although she seemed to be his age, he found her incredibly intimidating. She had a certain grace and maturity that other teenagers lacked.

If only humans knew we existed, Jason thought, not for the first time. Then I could just go talk to her…

A sharp clap of thunder broke him from his reverie. Jason resurfaced to find that a sudden storm had rolled in, darkening the skies. Elise was still sleeping deeply on her rock, oblivious to the sprinkling of rain that had just begun. Jason worried for her safety, unsure if she would be able to reach the shore if it began to storm. The rocks became slippery in the rain, and Jason had never seen Elise swim, only sit upon the sunbaked rocks.

For a terrifying moment, Jason feared that he would have to find a way to wake her, risking his exposure. Looking down at his bare chest and long, scaly fin, he decided that it was impossible to wake Elise without her noticing his lack of legs.

The rain fell harder, the storm building as quickly as it had started. Weather on the coast was always unpredictable and severe; storms can blow in from across the sea, turning clear blue skies black within minutes. Elise sat up abruptly, and Jason breathed a sigh of relief. Disoriented, Elise got up quickly to her feet, almost losing balance for a terrifying moment. She pressed her back to a rock, her bare feet unable to grip onto the wet rocky surface. Jason could see a look of panic on her face, even from a distance. She was a good ways away from the palace.

A flash of lightening illuminated the dark skies for a second, causing Elise to jump. She was shaking, now sitting as far away from the water as possible, her knees pulled up to her chest. She seems terrified, Jason noted.

His brow furrowed in concern. It pained him to see her in such a state; calm, graceful Elise had lost her cool exterior. This storm won't be stopping anytime soon.

Without thinking, he swam towards her.

A/N: Mermaid and humans in love. Who doesn't love that? Things will get more complicated later on, but this will be a pretty short-and-simple story.

Please review if you've enjoyed! Reviews encourage me to update really quickly.