When Ariel found out that Eric was marrying another, she ran and hid. It was childish of her, she was aware of that much, but she didn't want to see her friends' pity or hear their warnings. She found a small, unused nook in the palace that was out of the way, and – ignoring the knowing looks that some of the servants shot her – she spent her day there.

She thought she heard Scuttle once, calling her name, but she didn't go look for him. She couldn't. This was her mistake, no one else's, and she would be the one to live with it.

As the sun slowly began to sink over the horizon, Ariel finally made her way down to the beach. She did her best to smile at the handful of servants left behind, the ones who hadn't been taken to help with the wedding, even though she didn't feel like it. They had been kind to her, and she knew that she would never see them again.

Ariel took a deep breath as she watched the sun disappear, enjoying the feel of the wet sand between her toes for one last moment. Then she was falling, the legs she was just starting to get used to disappearing, replaced by the familiar fins and tail that she had known for sixteen years. She landed in the water with a splash, a hiss of pain escaping her lips as she hit the water.

She froze in realization and then, slowly, tested her voice.

"It's over."

The words were soft, a little quieter and hoarser than usual, but they were there. The spell was over, her voice was back.

She couldn't go home.

Ariel let out a sound that was close to a sob as she reached down to touch her tail. Then she shook her head, forcing her emotions down, before glancing behind her. The palace was shining behind her, lights in almost every window despite half its inhabitants being out at sea. She took one more breath, trying to memorize the view that she knew she'd never see again.

Then she dove under the waves.

Ursula was waiting for her at her lair. The sea witch's eyebrows rose when she saw Ariel appear, and she looked almost impressed.

"I wasn't expecting you to come willingly," Ursula said, shooting Ariel a thoughtful look.

Ariel forced herself to meet Ursula's gaze. "I keep my promises," she said. She was proud that the quaver in her voice was almost unnoticeable.

Ursula didn't say anything for a moment. Then she nodded. "That you do."

Without another word, Ursula reached out and touched Ariel's cheek. Ariel resisted the urge to pull away. She had signed the contract. She had done this to herself.

"Are you going to transform me now?" Ariel asked quietly.

Ursula paused for a moment. "I don't think so," she said, sounding almost surprised. "Not yet. I might have another use for you."

Ariel slipped farther back into the corner of the cave, making certain she was completely out of sight. She could hear her father's voice outside, raised in loud bellows, but she couldn't quite make out what he was saying. Part of her wanted nothing more than to swim out and throw herself into his arms, to hold him tight and beg that he get her out of this contract.

Ursula had warned her not to even consider it, though. The sea witch had told her that, as long as she remained inside and gave no sign that she was there, she would not accept any changes to the bargain. No matter what King Triton offered her in return.

Everything that was happening was Ariel's fault. She wasn't going to put her family at risk as well.

"Good girl."

Ariel startled, her head shooting up. Ursula had appeared in the entrance and was smiling at her.

After a moment's hesitation, Ariel gave her a slight smile in return. "He's gone?" she asked carefully.

"Daddy dearest?" Ursula asked, her smile widening to show her teeth. "Oh, yes. He's gone back to his kingdom, none the wiser that his little girl is here."

Ariel nodded. "Good," she said softly, looking down. "That's good."

There wasn't a response for several seconds. Then Ariel felt a lightly pressure under her chin, one of Ursula's tentacles gently pressing her head back up so that Ursula could see her face.

Ursula didn't say anything. All she did was lean in and press a gentle a gentle kiss on Ariel's lips.

Ariel was too surprised to react. Her eyes widened in surprise as Ursula pulled away, an unreadable expression on the sea witch's face.

Neither of them said anything as Ursula turned and swam away.

Ariel woke up screaming.

The sounds seemed to echo in the small room that Ursula had given her as a bedchamber, the nightmare that had woken her already fading. Flames shooting up into the sky as a ship burned. Eric falling to the ground with a dazed look on his face as his dark-haired bride transformed into the familiar form of the sea witch. Cries of terror ringing out in the growing dark.

The seashell curtain in the doorway rattled as Ursula pushed through it, a human-made sword held in her hand. She lowered the sword when she saw there was no one else there, shaking her head.

"You're disturbing my sleep, child," Ursula said, and Ariel couldn't help but think she sounded more amused than exasperated.

"I'm sorry," Ariel said quickly, her heart still beating too quickly in her chest. "It won't happen again."

Ursula rolled her eyes. "Don't make promises you can't keep," she said, swimming over to settle down beside Ariel on her bed. "It's bad manners."

Ariel smiled despite herself. "Sorry," she repeated.

This time, she was the one who initiated the kiss. She was hesitant at first, not quite certain what she was doing. It grew stronger as Ursula began to kiss back, one of her tentacles coming up to rub a circle on Ariel's back. A warmth grew inside Ariel, similar to what she had felt when she had been around Eric, but different at the same time. Stronger. Headier.

More fitting.

For the time being, all of Ariel's regrets melted away. The nightmare that had woken her, tinges of reality and what she hoped was nothing but her imagination, disappeared in a bustle of heat and movement. Time lost all meaning, and she had no idea if seconds had passed or if it had been hours.

Eventually, Ursula pulled away, her eyes dark. "Oh, my little mermaid," she murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of Ariel's lips. "My little princess. Believe me when I say that one day, you will be a queen."