Ariel yawned as she rose from bed, feeling hungrier than usual. She could spell bacon and eggs wafting in from the kitchen, and the princess was so grateful for having such a wonderful cook in Carlotta. She stretched in her bed and looked beside her, noticing that Eric wasn't beside her. He was probably out fishing or simply enjoying the morning waves. Ariel rose from her bed and covered her mouth as another yawn escaped her. Her eyes barely open, she glided down the hallway and took the banister of the winding staircase, ready to go enjoy her breakfast before starting her day.
Bianca and her coagent had been separated while on the way home from Australia. She couldn't remember how, though, because she'd hit her head on a rock before washing up on the shore of the strange place she now found herself in. She stayed calm and figured the best way to start finding her way home would be to find out where she even was. As she walked along the beach in search of someone who could help, she realized there was a gigantic castle that stood nearby. Hoping to find another mouse inside, she entered. After wandering around for quite a while, she happened upon the palace's elegant dining room and continued her search in there, until she saw a red-headed young woman come in and quickly hid underneath the table.
Ariel hummed to herself as she descended the staircase, stretching once more as she rubbed her eyes and entered the kitchen. "Good morning, Carlotta," she said brightly as the maid pulled out her chair for her. "I smelled eggs and bacon and just had to come down right away." As if on cue, the redhead's stomach growled, and she clutched it in embarrassment.
Carlotta set out a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Ariel and she gratefully began to eat. The maid continued to tell Ariel what was going on in the kingdom that day and explained that the butcher wanted her to try out some new products for him. After agreeing she would be willing to help him out, Ariel saw Carlotta pick up a cheese platter and set it in front of her.
Bianca didn't dare come out from under the table as the redhead had her meal. Ironically, Bianca started to become hungry as well. She couldn't figure out how to get home on an empty stomach, so as soon as the redhead dropped a piece of cheese, she scurried to pick it up. Just as she was about to take it, however, the redhead bent down to pick it up herself and Bianca was seen.
Not wanting to give Carlotta more work, Ariel quickly bent to pick up the piece of cheese she clumsily dropped. However, she was greeted by a mouse, and her eyes widened in shock as she resisted the urge to scream. Carlotta was lost in her work, and she didn't want to upset her.
However, staring at the little mouse, Ariel noticed that it was… dressed. Very feminine, in fact. She slowly pulled her hand away from the cheese and let the mouse take it, glancing up briefly to make sure Carlotta didn't notice.
The princess quickly bent her head under the table and whispered, "You better be careful, little one. It isn't safe here." A look of concern crossed her face as she began to imagine what Chef Louie would do if he saw it.
Relieved that the redhead meant no harm, Bianca wanted to ask where she was, anyway - and why it wasn't safe. She didn't, though, for fear that the other woman in the dining room, who appeared to be a maid, would hear her and become frightened. As soon as the maid woman left the room, Bianca cautiously climbed up onto the table and whispered to the redhead. "Pardon me, madam, but…where am I?"
Ariel bit her lip to prevent a gasp from escaping her as she noticed the mouse climb up on the table. With a whisper, she replied, "Well.. You're in a castle, in Denmark. Are you lost? Do you need help?" Surely the redhead must look crazy, talking to a mouse, but she did want to make sure it didn't get hurt.. or worse.
"Yes, actually, I am," Bianca replied. "You see, I'm from The Rescue Aid Society, and I was separated from my coagent while we were on our way back to New York." She struggled to remember what exactly had happened. All that came to her mind was a stormy sea. "I have to find - wait a moment. Why isn't it safe here?"
"Oh, well it is safe, for the most part," Ariel assured the mouse. "It's just that, well, you're a mouse, and mice usually aren't.. welcomed here with open arms. My chef, Louie," she continued, "isn't too fond of small animals. He also has a few anger issues, so that doesn't help, either," she said under her breath.
"Oh, goodness." Though Bianca was sure she could avoid the chef (after all, she'd been in worse situations before), she knew she had to be even more cautious now. Before, she wasn't lost. She'd known exactly where she was and exactly how she could get back to New York. Now she was in an enormous castle without the slightest idea of how to get home - and an angry, carnivorous chef who most likely worked with knives all day. "Miss," she said to the redhead. "Do you have any idea how I could get back to New York City?"
Ariel widened her eyes. "New York City?" she said in awe. She had heard of the magnificent city before, but she had never seen pictures of it or knew anything all about it. All she knew was that it was in America. And America certainly wasn't anywhere close to Denmark.
"Oh, no," she said as she shook her head. "I'm afraid I've never been there, and it's nowhere near her." The redhead quieted, desperately trying to think of a solution for the little mouse's problem.
Bianca had to get home somehow, but through all of her RAS assignments, she'd never been in this sort of situation. She didn't know where to begin. For the first time ever, she almost felt hopeless. But she knew she had a duty to fulfill, the first step to its fulfillment would be to find her way out of this place called Denmark. "Well, miss, do you know of any place where I can hide until I find my way out of Denmark? You know, so your chef doesn't, um, see me."
"Oh, uh, yes, of course," Ariel nodded. Maybe she could hide the little mouse in her room. The only one who would go in there for the rest of the day would be Eric, if at all. Their room was the one place the maids never went into.
"Come on," she whispered as she glanced around. Luckily, still no one had seen them. Ariel cupped her hands and held them out to her.
Bianca climbed into the redhead's hands and went up the long, formal staircase with her. As they entered what seemed to be the redhead's bedroom, Bianca began to wonder who this woman was, and why she lived in such a place. Maybe she was royalty. A countess, perhaps. She was dressed rather elegantly. "Thank you for your help. Oh, and if you don't mind my asking," Bianca said as the redhead set her down on a nightstand. "Just who are you?"
"Oh, I'm Ariel," the redhead told her with a smile, sitting down on the bed. "Um, Princess Ariel, I guess," she added, thinking the mouse was looking for titles. "My husband is the Prince of this kingdom, so I'm Princess by marriage." Well not exactly, considering she was already a princess before meeting Eric, but that was too much to add.
"And you are?" she asked a bit awkwardly. It was so strange that she was having this conversation with none other than a mouse.
"Oh, pardon my manners. I'm Miss Bianca." A princess. Of course. While Bianca had never been around such an important person before, she knew she wouldn't have to act any differently now. She had to focus mainly on getting home. "Ariel," she said, while trying to remember exactly what had happened before she ended up in Denmark. "Just to make sure, was there a storm last night?"
Ariel pursed her lips as an empathetic expression fell upon her, and she nodded. "There was," she said solemnly, remembering the events of the night before. "It was quite rough, actually. We had to call all the ships in the area to dock."
Suddenly, Bianca remembered a little bit more of what had happened. Wilbur, the albatross pilot that was flying Bianca and Bernard home, had gotten lost and must have ended up over Denmark somehow. A ship had caused a large wave to hit Wilbur as it was hurrying to dock, and Bianca was knocked out of the seat. Oh no, she thought. If Wilbur had been lost to begin with, Bianca would have more trouble getting home than she thought.
Ariel noticed the fallen look that appeared on Bianca's face, and she suddenly felt worried for the little mouse. She folded her arms and hunched over, trying her best to be in eye level of her. "Is everything alright?" she asked gently, her brows furrowing together nervously.
"Hm? Oh, uh, yes." said Bianca. "I'm…I'm fine. It's just the matter of getting home, is all." She didn't want Ariel to be too concerned with her, so she tried not to show her fear that she wouldn't get home for months - maybe a few years, even. She'd always had to be brave for every call for help the society assigned her to answer, but she had always been scared. She just had to pretend not to be, because success was always crucial, and fear only slows one down. She'd always been good at hiding her real fear, but now it was starting to become harder. Trying to change the subject, she looked back up at Ariel. "Oh, I almost forgot to ask," she said. "Your husband…he isn't bothered by mice, is he?"
"Don't worry, we'll get you home somehow," Ariel reassured her. "And, well, at first he might not be so happy with the sight of one, but if I explain what's going on I'm sure he'd be willing to help." She smiled at her and crossed her arms, tapping her lips with her finger.
"Now, how do we get you home.."
Bianca tried to be as optimistic as Ariel, but she had a hard time accomplishing it. The worst thoughts began to creep into her mind. Bernard and Wilbur wouldn't know if she was alright now. She didn't even know if they were alright. What if something had happened to them? She'd have no way to know until she got home! Stop that, she told herself. I'm sure they're both fine. She tried again to have more faith. After all, if she knew where a human airport was, she could probably find an Albatross Airport nearby. But Denmark didn't seem to have anything like that. In fact, it didn't even seem to have any cars! Suddenly Bianca started to wonder about just how unusual this kingdom was. Of course she knew it was crazy, but she began to wonder if the storm had done something to bring her to a different time. That's impossible, she thought. Denmark is simply… old-fashioned.
Ariel sat quietly with Bianca for a moment, thinking. New York City. So far away, but it was popular. There must be some carriage or mail or something going there sometime soon. The only question was when, and where? Even if there were carriages going there, they might not be going often.
The redhead stood up. "Why don't we go down into the kingdom? Maybe I can casually ask a few people about New York City, and we can try to find some way for you to get there."
Unable to think of a better idea than that, Bianca nodded. "Alright," she said. "That just might help." See, she thought to herself. Getting home won't be so hard. She smiled, admiring how clever Ariel was. Then she realized there was one small problem. "But how can I stay hidden out there?" she asked.
Ariel bit her lip, thinking quietly to herself as she glanced quickly around her room. Something to hold a mouse… Something to hold a mouse… Her eyes finally rested on a simple peach bag, hidden under one of her dresses. Melody had gotten it for her for her birthday last year, almost matching her own.
Ariel walked over to the bag, swiftly bending it down and uncovering it from the dress. Just as she thought. It had a small pocket on the front, perfect for a mouse. Giggling, she turned back around and walked back over to the bed, thrusting the bag out with both hands. "Here," she giggled.
"Oh, that's perfect!" said Bianca, climbing into the pocket of the bag. It was always convenient how human things made great makeshift hiding places for a mouse. Now it seemed like she was just on another mission. On all her assignments, she'd usually needed to hide somewhere to find a way to help someone escape. The only difference was that now she was going at it alone. The thought was new to her, after years of working with Bernard, but she resolved to brave anything she needed to. Ariel's optimism and resourcefulness gave Bianca confidence.
Giggling again, Ariel gently held the bag and walked out of the room, casually telling the maids she was simply going for a walk, to return a few things and maybe shop a little. She kept the pocket hidden, careful not to frighten the maids into shrieking.
Once she stepped outside, smelling the salty sea air, Ariel sighed and looked around. "Now, how could we get you home.." she said aloud.
Bianca was cautious as she poked her head out of the pocket just a little bit. She looked around for a second, then spotted what appeared to be a travelling salesman. "Psst. Ariel," she whispered, looking up at the princess, and also looking around to make sure no one spotted her. "Why don't you try asking that man?"
Ariel looked towards where her tiny hand pointed, and she saw the man she was referring to, selling some things he claimed couldn't be found in the rest of Denmark. Perfect.
The princess briskly walked over to him, tapping him on his shoulder. "Hello," she said with a warm smile. "Any chance you're going, or have been, to America? Maybe New York?"
The salesman greeted Ariel with a large grin and seemed to practically shove his products in her face. "New York, hm?" he said. "Yes, I've been there before. A wondrous city, it is. If it's transportation you need, perhaps I could make an arrangement for you. It's rather expensive though, I must warn you."
Ariel bit her lip, chewing it anxiously. Expensive? She glanced down at Bianca subtly, seeing that her beady black eyes were staring up at her hopefully.
"H-How much?" she asked boldly, then added, "Might you add, I am the princess."
"Princess, hm?" said the salesman. "Well then, surely you can afford 25£ for passage." Bianca raised an eyebrow. Only twenty-five euros? She could've payed that herself if she hadn't lost her purse the night before. She almost laughed, remembering that it wasn't much in American dollars, either. There must've been some kind of catch. She looked up at Ariel and gave her a look, pressing her to try and get some details.
Ariel practically laughed, glancing down at Bianca's amused expression. That price certainly wasn't expensive, but of course Ariel wouldn't tell him that. "Not a problem," she replied warmly. "Would you be able to take someone there for me, by any chance?"
But then she hesitated. How was she going to convince this man to take a mouse to New York City? He would probably just see Bianca as a pest..
Bianca seemed to be thinking the same thing as Ariel. What humans would let just a mouse onto a regular ship? She didn't know if he would want details as to who it was or why they needed to go, or if he would think it was some kind of joke if he was told a mouse needed passage. Most humans were scared of mice, and Bianca had never understood why. Was it because they ran faster? Maybe they thought mice were just there to steal food. Which wasn't entirely untrue… What if the salesman thought the same and refused, whether he thought it was crazy or not? Bianca bit her lip, awaiting an answer.
When the salesman agreed with Ariel, she thanked him and said, "Well, uh, actually, it isn't really a person." She paused, racking her thoughts for an excuse. "My.. My pet!" she exclaimed, putting up a fake act. "Oh, yes, my dear little pet mouse, she's quite, uh.. ill, and there's a, um, veterinarian that can take care of her. The best in the world, or so I've been told. And she's from Manhattan." The princess smiled at him charmingly, hoping he would accept her request.
Bianca was impressed with Ariel's act. It was quite a story. She looked up and watched as the salesman thought for a moment. He looked at Ariel, confused. "Well, Princess," he said. "Why don't you go with your pet, then?" Bianca looked up at Ariel, wide-eyed in almost panic. She always almost panicked when someone suspected she was there who wasn't supposed to know.
Ariel hadn't expected such a response, but she was quick to say, "Well, since I am the princess, I have so many other things I must do, as I'm sure you can imagine," she said convincingly. "New York is so far away, I simply don't have the time to go. But of course, I would if I could." She shrugged.
Bianca sighed with relief. The salesman didn't ask any more questions after that. He must have figured she had people in America to take her "pet" to the veterinarian. The salesman directed Ariel as to how to get Bianca onto the ship, and the princess thanked him. As soon as he was out of sight, Bianca carefully stuck her head out of the pocket and thanked Ariel.
Gratefully, Ariel thanked the kind salesman and walked away from him, towards the ship. She discreetly picked Bianca up out of the pocket, holding her gently in her hands. "Will you be alright, then, Bianca?" she asked. She was grateful that they were able to find a way for her to get home, but the princess wanted to be sure that Bianca would be safe.
"I think so," Bianca said. "If I can just get back to the city, I can find my way home from there." Then, Bianca remembered something. What about Bernard and Wilbur? She'd told herself to be more optimistic, but she still didn't know if they were alright. She didn't even know how long she'd been lost. It seemed like she'd been gone for days, but that was impossible. She washed up on the beach just this morning. "Ariel," she said, trying to distract herself from the thought. "What day is it today?"
"Well, it's… It's Thursday, I believe," Ariel replied, hearing a few seagulls call in the distance. A bell sounded, signaling the ship was about to depart.
"Is something wrong, Bianca?" she asked, afraid that she'd perhaps forgotten something.
"No, no." said Bianca. "I meant what date is it?"
"Oh, well, it's.." She paused, biting her lip for a moment as she thought. "I believe it's the 25th."
Bianca left it at that for the moment. If she asked what year it was, she would've sounded ridiculous. How could somebody forget what year it was? Or even what month? Besides, she would be crazy if she thought she'd ended up somewhere that wasn't just far from home. But then she remembered that she would likely never see the princess again. And if her crazy idea was right, then it wouldn't be so crazy. So she took the chance and asked. "What year is it, though?"
"Uh.." Ariel stuttered, a bit worried that something was suddenly wrong with Bianca. "It's 2013… Bianca, are you alright?" A look of concern crossed Ariel's features.
"I'm fine," said Bianca. "I just hit my head last night. I guess I'm a bit…out of it…" I knew it was ridiculous, she thought. Denmark really is just old-fashioned. "By any chance," she said, changing the subject. "Do you have a phone I could use? Just to tell my friends I'm alright?"
Ariel blushed, her eyes darting back and forth. "Um, phone?" she said, not understanding what Bianca was asking for.
Then, she remembered something. A present Eric had gotten her from a faraway kingdom. He had wanted her to have it in the case of an emergency, but the princess had never attempted to use it. But, as her husband wished, she had it with her. She reached her hand into the pocket of her dress and pulled out something that looked like a shell.
"I have this shellphone.." she said hesitantly, turning the device over in her hand before extending it to Bianca. "Is this what you want?"
"Shellphone?" said Bianca, confused. At first she thought Ariel was joking, but then she realized the princess had been carrying it with her the whole time. "Well, I suppose that could work." Ariel handed her the shellphone and Bianca turned it over, trying to figure out how it worked.
Nervously, Ariel watched Bianca try to figure out the thing. "I'm sorry.. I've never used it before, so I don't know exactly how it works," she said.
"Bianca, what's going on?" the former mermaid asked.
Bianca looked up at Ariel and decided that trying to be optimistic and pretending she was sure everything was fine wouldn't help. She wasn't sure. She hadn't been sure to begin with. "Well, you see," she began. She told Ariel everything she remembered from the night before, how she'd been separated from Bernard and Wilbur, and how she wasn't sure what had happened to them.
Ariel nodded as she listened to Bianca, then said, "Well, I'm sure they're all okay. You all live in New York, so I'm sure that's where they're all going to go!" she smiled.
"But I don't even remember much from the storm," said Bianca, still worrying. "I don't know if they made it out alright! If they did, they would go to New York, but I'm just not sure."
Reassuringly, Ariel gently placed a hand on Bianca's tiny shoulder. "Bianca," she started, "I think the best thing for you to do is go home. Take it one step at a time. If you go home, and they aren't there, then here." The redhead leaned back and looked around the ship, spotting some stationary paper. She took it and handed it to Bianca. "Write to me, okay? Since, I, uh, don't use.. phones." Ariel glanced down awkwardly before looking up again with a smile. "I'll be happy to help you out, if you need it."
Bianca smiled at the princess and nodded her head in agreement. "Thank you, Ariel," she said. "I think you're right." Just then a horn sounded at the docks.
"You're welcome," the redhead grinned, leaning down to give Bianca a gentle hug. Pulling away, she said, "I wish you the best of luck, Miss Bianca."
Ariel quickly departed from the ship, turning just to see it leave the dock. She waved, happy to have helped the little mouse, and hoping that everything would turn out right for her.