She Loved and Lost

A Little Mermaid Fanfiction Concerning Ursula

This story is set forty years prior to the birth of Princess Ariel, youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena. Hence, through my own imagination, I have made Ursula twenty in this story, Triton, twenty-five, and Athena, twenty as well. Ursula, I feel is one of Disney's best villains in a comical as well as a "love-to-hate" persona, and I feel that her story is deserved to be told in more depth and explains why she became so evil and power-hungry. So instead of her being Triton's sister (which I know had been an original plot idea that was scrapped for the original 1989 Disney film), I made her Triton's cousin. So here it is. Enjoy! Reviews greatly appreciated!

When I was very young, I was very happy. Save for the fact that my parents, both minor royals, had both died when I was but two years old, and I was sent to live with my Uncle Poseidon and Aunt Rhiannon in the Kingdom of Atlantica where they ruled as King and Queen side-by-side.

My aunt and uncle were truly very kind to me, and treated me as if I were their own child. They had one son- a boy five years my senior named Triton. By his sixteenth birthday he was already emotionally mature and very handsome. With his long, flowing red hair, very muscular build, and blue fins. Growing up, Triton had many friends, and enjoyed the fishing and dolphin derbies like most others in our age group. He was also very sought-after for his looks, his future destiny to be king, and his intelligence. However, in spite of my kind relatives, I always felt different when I was trying to fit in with the other mer-folk my age. While they watched their derbies and hung about the shell club, I stayed in my room reading my many books. The study of the magical arts had always fascinated me and I devoured any book I could get my hands on about the magical arts and about the various gods and goddesses of the sea. I was also plump (unlike most of the other mermaids my age), and was teased a lot as a result. Even my relatives would hassle me about my size. As a result, this made me sink into deeper depression, making me eat even more honey plankton bread, and starfish cookies. So I put on more weight, making me even more self-conscious. Although I was a pretty mermaid with my long locks the shade of a sea-raven's wing, my violet fins, honey-brown eyes, and lilac complexion and was intelligent and intellectual in persona, no merboy wanted to court me. I was a lonely twenty-year-old mermaid who felt so sad and lonely and even more hurt whenever I watched my fellow mermaids take romantic swims outside the palace grounds while holding hands and the merboy would gently tuck a sea-flower behind the mermaids ear.

But I figured that eventually the weight would "go away" and I continued to read my books. One day, I read one about humans and became fascinated by the so-called "people of the land and sun." I told Triton about my desire to see the "world above" one day over a cup of algae tea.

"Oh, Ursie (the pet name he had given me)." He said, draped his arm affectionately around his new mermaid-friend, Athena. "I would give up this newfound interest if I were you. Humans are dangerous creatures who would sooner kill you rather than speak to you if one was to see you."

I sighed and gazed at my cousin and Athena. Like me, she was twenty years old and she was so beautiful with her long auburn hair and green eyes. As well as her supple body. A body I wished I so had. But I kept my eyes lowered as a Lady of the Court must. But at the same time I wondered if I would ever experience a love like that Triton and Athena shared.

I excused myself and slowly swam out of the palace to be on my own. On my path, I bumped into two baby moray eels. "Oooh! Flotsam and Jetsam!" I exclaimed and hugged them both. Though they were eels, and therefore considered an ominous creature of the sea by many, they were good and kind. Not to mention they were still innocent, being just babies.

The eels squealed in delight upon seeing me. They embraced each other in order to form a heart-shape with their bodies. "Ursula! We love you!" They squeaked.

I laughed. It was true that at least I had friends, although my uncle often warned me that one should be careful about how we choose our friends. But these darling eels had never been nothing but kind to me.

"Where are you going?" Jetsam asked.

"Oh. Just for a swim. Want to come along?" I asked.

"Okay." The both replied at the same time, and we swam off.

The ocean was beautiful that day. The water glowed a clear, crystal blue and a school of neon-green fish swam past me. Beautiful coral in various colors bobbed with the currents as the two eels and I swam by. And as I looked at the pearly-sand floor, I saw the colorful seashells and pink starfish sparkling as they lay nestled beneath the sand. I smiled. I had to admit, my home was so beautiful and I would never want to leave it and in spite of my size, the ocean would always have plenty of room for me. I thought sadly.

Flotsam, Jetsam, and I continued in our swim, when I halted. "Look." I whispered, pointing at the ocean floor. I swam to the bottom and picked up a mysterious object. It was an object I had never seen before.

Brushing away the wet sand that covered part of it, I saw the object was round. Almost like a sand dollar and was made of a clear, transparent hard substance. Beneath this clear coating, I could see little markings and two needles pointing at one of the writings. One needle was smaller than the other, and a gold chain was attached to the object.

"I wonder what this could be." I wondered aloud as the eels swam up besides me.

"We don't know." Jetsam squeaked.

"I think I'll ask my uncle." I said as I clutched the object in my fist, and the three of us swam back to Atlantica.