Life above the sea
Chapter 1
Ariel was missing.
She had been missing since dinner, but dinner was at 6 pm and it was now 10 pm. No one knew were she was. That was why Eric had ordered everyone to look for her. Carlotta and Grim were on the beach and the servants were looking for her in the castle. Eric included.
"Your highness." A maid called. She appeared to be coming from the library. "Princess-Queen Ariel is in the library."
Eric waited until she had walked away before smacking himself on the forehead. The library. Of course. Ariel had been begging to go there after reading about it, but with all the royal work they'd been doing, going to the library just wasn't an option. Ariel, with her stubbiness, had taken it upon herself to visit the library.
"Ariel? Ariel?" Eric called opening the library door. He looked in side and...There she was. Asleep on a table using a book as a pillow and with a candle, that had gone out. Eric shook his head at his wife. No wonder no one could find her, the only indication she was here was the way the moonlight shone on her hair. That hair that had been embedded into his brain after his near death experience. He softly shook her awake while whispering her name.
"Hmm?" Ariel mumbled, waking up. Once she saw Eric, she instantly started smiling. "Hello"
"Good evening." Eric said kissing his wife on the cheek.
"What time is it?" Ariel asked yawning and stretching her arms.
"Ten-thirty." Eric replied.
"He, He oops." Ariel bit her lip while grinning.
"Come on." Eric chuckled, pulling her chair out.
"Is everyone looking for me?" she asked standing up and collecting her book.
"Yeah. You certainly gave everyone a scare." Eric took the book from her.
"Oh sorry. I just really wanted to see the library because we hadn't had time before and I found a book that was in my grotto." Ariel said smiling brightly. A passing maid stopped to curtsy in front of them.
"Excuse me, can you go down to the beach and find Carlotta and Grimsby and tell them that Queen Ariel has been found." Eric asked.
"Yes, your majesty." The maid replied before walking away.
Eric turned back to his wife who had a sour look on her face. "What?" He asked.
"They're so formal to you. It's always 'Your majesty' or 'your highness.'" Ariel answered walking ahead.
"What? Don't they do that in Atlantica?" Eric asked, jogging to catch up with her, so he could hold her hand.
"No, only Daddy gets called that." Ariel shrugged
"What were you called?" Eric asked, genuinely curious.
"Trouble." Ariel laughed before running back to their room, with minimal tripping accidents.
They got changed into their night clothes, Ariel yappering on and on about the book she had found. She clearly wasn't tired.
"And then she runs away because the guy already has a wife." Ariel finished picking up the fork from her vanity table.
"Ariel." Eric said sternly. He understood her fascination for human objects, but really the forks still?
"What? Oh sorry." Ariel switched to the hairbrush, though she felt the fork helped control her hair more. She quickly put it into a low ponytail with a piece of ribbon.
"I don't see why you do that. It's only gong to come out." Eric stated getting into their bed.
"It's... um; it's what my sister Arista used to do. I guess I'm just used to it." She said as she climbed into bed. She curled up and lay facing Eric. He opened his eyes and found it almost impossible not to kiss her. So he did. There it was that spark that seemed to ignite every time he kissed her. He loved her so much, but there wasn't anyway she could ever know just how much.
"I love." He said when they broke for air.
"I love you too." She replied with her eyes closed, just on the verge of sleep.