Chapter 1
Ever since Ariel chose to give up her life with her family of being a mermaid to become human and marry prince Eric, things had been difficult for her. It had been 3 months since Erin and Ariel said "I do," and Ariel was really struggling in learning how to be human, how to be a princess, and most of all, how to be away from her family. Although Ariel loved living in the mansion and all of the wonderful and romantic moments her and Eric had gotten to have together, she still spent most late nights looking out at the window at the ocean and crying, missing her dad, her sisters, and her very best friend, Gus. Oftentimes, Ariel would walk out to the beach and sit on the shore, waiting for one of her loved ones to come see her. Often, they would swim to shore and pop their heads above the water to talk to Ariel, and those moments that Ariel had with her friends and family from the sea meant so much to her. I guess you really don't know what you have until it's gone. On one particular night, as Ariel was once again feeling sad about not having her friends and family around, she decided to walk out on the beach after Eric had fallen asleep. She pulled her long red hair in a ponytail, threw on a cozy sweater and some sweatpants and snuck out of her and Eric's bedroom window which was located on the first floor of the mansion that they lived in. Ariel knew that it was a long shot, but she really hoped that her father would come up to visit her on the shore tonight. Ariel missed everyone from the sea, but she missed her dad the most. Thinking of all that she had put him through tore Ariel up inside, since she had gone behind his back and left her entire family and all of her friends to be with Eric, and her father was very much against this decision. Although she felt terrible for what she had done to her dad, Ariel still knew that it was the right decision for her; she loved Eric more and more each day, even in the midst of the grief she felt for her loved ones that she did not get to see often anymore, he made her feel special every day and never let her forget how much he loved and cared for her. It was hard for Ariel to grapple with her emotions when she felt so happy and so sad at the same time.
As Ariel walked along the beach, her legs a tiny bit wobbly as she was still learning how to walk, she noticed how beautiful the reflection of the mansion was on the water, and she thought of how living in the mansion and being married to Eric was a dream come true for her. So why did she still feel so sad? This was everything she had wanted, yet the pain she felt from missing her loved ones and everything she had ever known under the sea was almost unbearable. As Ariel walked, she kept her eye out for her dad, hoping that maybe he would come to see her on this summer night in July. She hadn't seen her dad in over a month, and she was starting to worry that something was wrong, as he usually came to see her at least once a week. Ariel comforted herself by reminding herself that her dad was a very busy man as he was the king of the sea, and it was about half a days swim to come see her from where he worked in the sea- he probably just hadn't had time in the past month to come and see her. It still stings a little that Ariel's dad was presumably too busy to come see her, but she knew that this was the life that she had chosen and she couldn't be upset that people were moving on without her.
Ariel continued walking for another 20 minutes or so, each minute her hope to see her dad growing more and more dismal. Just as she was about to turn around and start heading back, she saw a silhouette of a merman in the distant water. "Daddy?" she whispered as she began running towards the water. Once she got close enough to the water, she could clearly make out her father's appearance. "Oh daddy!" Ariel almost yelled as tears came into her eyes, "I was so worried." she said as she approached her dad and immediately engulfed him in a hug, not caring that he would get her soaking wet.
"Oh my dear girl," king Triton said, "I love you."
"I love you so much, Daddy. And I missed you so much."
"I missed you too, Ariel, and I need to tell you something." Ariel noticed that her father looked perturbed, and she immediately felt panicked. Maybe something really was wrong.
"Merpeople have been disappearing in droves, and I think it's Ursula's little sister, Morgana, who has been kidnapping people, stealing their talents/strengths, and holding them captive. That's why I have been unable to come see you lately," King Triton explained, "I have been so busy trying to find Morgana and all of the innocent merpeople she has captured."
"Oh my gosh! Is Sebastian okay? Gus? My sisters?" Ariel asked desperately as she burst into a new batch of tears.
"Yes, they are all okay. But Ariel - I must warn you. Morgana has been rumored to be after beautiful voices, specifically yours. She has always had a liking for your voice, I guess her and Ursula have a lot in common. I am very worried that she will be coming up to shore looking for you, as she surely knows that you left the sea and are now living in the mansion with Eric."
"But daddy, she can't steal my voice, because I am not a mermaid anymore." Ariel responded quickly, not concerned in the slightest.
"I'm afraid she can. Although you are now human, you still have mermaid blood, making it possible for Morgana to capture you and steal your voice. What I am telling you, Ariel, is that you need to be careful. You are not to walk along the beach late at night, and you are never to get this close to the shore again until I am able to find Morgana and settle this situation down."
"No!" Ariel exclaimed, even more tears quickly rushing down her eyes. The thought of not being able to come to shore to look for her loved ones was unbearable. "I miss you and everyone else so much, daddy. I can't stay away from you guys."
"Ariel, if you do not stay away from shore, I will use my powers to turn you back into a mermaid and I will ensure that you are under 24/7 surveillance under the sea. You are not of age yet and I am your father. I expect you to listen to me for your own safety."
Ariel's cries turned into sobs, as she realized that her dad was right, and she really would have to stay away from shore until the situation calmed down.
"Ariel," king Triton said as tears began to fall from his own eyes, "It pains me greatly to not be able to see you anymore, but this is the only way we can ensure that you are safe."
After saying that, he handed Ariel a seashell that she recognized at once. It was the seashell that her dad had given her the first time she sang in front of a mercrowd, and it had the words "I'm so proud of you Ariel" engrained in the shell.
"Please remember that I am always with you, no matter how long it takes for me to be able to see you again."
Ariel embraced her dad once more and said "Please find her quickly. I love you."
"I love you too, Ariel." King Triton said, and with that, he had disappeared under the sea.