A/N: Not at all sure where I'm going with this, I'm partly writing it out of boredom (which is naughty of me, since I have a whole slew of stories that aren't yet finished, and here I am starting a new one, lol.) Anyway, hope you enjoy my...boredom-inspired story…?

Song Of Sea And Sky

Melody had to admit that it was good to be so close to home.

Now a young woman in her twenties, she'd gone with her father on one of his oversea voyages while her mother had stayed at the castle. The voyage had lasted many, many months, and although the majority of it had been filled to the brim with duties befitting a monarchy, it had also been tremendously exciting for the young princess. This was the first truy-long voyage that Melody had been on with her father, and every moment had bursted with new sights, new sounds - even new tastes. Her part in it had been bigger than she would have cared for (she was, after all, the daughter of a king and queen), but she stuck to her part as best she could, willing to sacrifice personal pleasure for more important things.

'Important for the kingdom, anyway,' she'd thought at the time.

And of course, the voyage home was much slower than it would have been, had her grandfather, King Triton, allowed her to make it as a mermaid.

It was something of a sore topic. Melody had long come to terms with the fact that she was a human who shared half her lineage with the merfolk, but it didn't allow her to change into a mermaid at will. Only her grandfather had the power to do that, and although he did it plenty and often (mostly for family reunions, or when Melody wished to spend time with her undersea relatives), it didn't quite satisfy her not-so-secret wish that she could have a tail whenever she wanted to.

Her parents understood her sentiments, of course, but there was little they could do about it. King Triton couldn't always be at his granddaughter's beck and call, much as he loved her and would probably spoil her if given half the chance. Ariel, in particular, understood her daughter's longing to be equally part of both worlds, and she often talked about it with Eric. They had assumed, for a while, that in time Melody would come to accept the way things were, but as she matured and years passed, her love for the oceanic kingdom remained as strong as it did for the one on land.

It had been Eric's idea to allow Melody to accompany him on his voyages. He thought perhaps that traveling the ocean might help, if even a little, ease her pains of not being able to dwell within it at will. The kingdom was at peace, thankfully, so there really ought not to have been any voyage she couldn't accompany him on.

Melody was all for the idea, and of course Ariel had agreed. Mostly, their excursions had been short, and it was true that sailing over the sea did help Melody feel closer to it. Eric had been happy to see that his suggestion was working.

This last one had taken the cake, though. It was the longest that Melody had ever been on, and even she had to admit that all the new things she'd seen had somewhat taken her attention off the sea for a while. Now, after months of traversing the open ocean on their way home, she began to realize how homesick she had been. She missed the wide halls, the banquet room and the kitchens. She missed picking on Louie when he was busy in the kitchen and chatting with Carlotta when she did the laundry. She was ready to throw open the wide windows of her bedroom and flop on the bed, listening to the sighing sound of the sea. Then of course there was Sebastian.

A smile played across her face as she leaned on the bulwark near the stern. Although Sebastian wasn't as young as he used to be, the spritely crab still had a lot of spunk left in him. There was never a dull moment around Sebastian - a fact that Ariel would secretly disagree with, having had to spend much of her youth listening to his lectures and reprimands. But he amused Melody. For much of her childhood, Melody had not known that Sebastian could communicate not just with her mother, but with other humans. It had been a relief when the truth had finally come out in the open, not just about Melody's communication with sea creatures, but the ancestry of her mother (and her, as well.)

She inhaled deeply, taking in the beautiful scene before her. Another sunset had graced the horizon, casting the sea in a dusky purple glow. In less than a day, they would be within sight of home.

A breeze kicked up, blowing her dark hair in front of her face. She squinted and brushed it back, but it refused to cooperate.

"Hey, princess," her father's voice approached along with his footsteps.

"Hi, daddy," she said, still trying to keep her hair out of her face.

Eric chuckled as he watched his daughter fussing, and moved so that she could face him with the wind in her face. "Are you happy to be heading home, or sad that the voyage is over?"

"A little of both," she admitted, smiling now that her hair was under control. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, earning her numerous admirers throughout the province, royal and otherwise. Her long, dark hair went down nearly to her waist, and her eyes were as blue as the sea. She'd never taken to any of her suitors, though.

For some time, this was because she harbored a crush on Jeremy, but that had been a teenage crush. They'd been something of a couple for a while (at least, as much as they could be, given the barriers), but had come to be content just being friends as they matured. Melody wasn't even upset when she found out that Jeremy had recently entered into a relationship - with a mermaid, of course, as was proper.

"Truth be told," she said, presently, "I actually missed home more than I thought I would."

He nodded, a knowing look on his face as he leaned on the bulwark. "Being on a voyage will do that to you."

"You've always loved the sea, though. I remember when you told mother that you often felt more at home while you were out sailing."

He smiled. "True. But you can't avoid the pull of home forever. Sailing was the most exhilarating thing I did when I was young, and it still is. But at the end of the day, it's nice to come home to a warm fire and a soft bed."

"Yeah," she yawned. "Anyway...I still had a great time. Can I come with you on the next voyage?"

"We'll see," he replied, carefully. "You have duties to attend to yourself, you know."

"Oh, like what?" She moaned, even though she knew the answer.

"Like meeting Prince Aldin of Cathadia."

"I knew it," she said, pointing at him. Her blue eyes were on fire as she playfully accused her father. "I knew you were going to bring him up!"

He raised his hands up in defense. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I don't like it any better than you, but I promised your mother I'd mention it to you."

Prince Aldin had been one of her more pressing suitors and had been insisting on meeting her formally. Melody, needless to say, abhorred the thought of an arranged marriage. Ariel and Eric, having married for love, could hardly blame her for feeling the way she did. Yet, the pressure of finding a suitable husband grew with every year that Melody remained single. Inwardly, they hoped that their daughter would develop a natural attraction to one of her suitors, but so far none of them had appealed to her. Ariel suspected that Prince Aldin would probably be no different (not least of all because of his pushy manner), but as queen, she was obligated to at least try.

Melody huffed as she slumped back on the bulwark. "Ok, you've mentioned it. Can we change the subject now?"

"Seeing as I'm off the hook, I guess so," he relented. He, too, felt the pressure of having an only daughter who was three things: royal, single, and beautiful. But it was the end of the day, and the last thing he wanted to do was nag her about finding a husband. That task had fallen more to Ariel as of late, anyway. After all, it wasn't easy for him, as her father, to think about giving away his only daughter to a man they barely knew. Yes, duty called for it, but like Melody, he was content to put it off yet another day.

Some time after the sun had disappeared behind the horizon, Melody retired to bed. She was content knowing that tomorrow, she would be within sight of home. It felt much longer than it really had been since she'd seen the beautiful castle by the sea.

The reunion of the royal family had been a magnificent one.

The entire kingdom had gathered by the docks to welcome home their king and princess. Musical instruments rang happily as they descended onto the dock in procession. Myriads of flowers were being passed to and fro, so much that their fragrance wafted into the air and mingled with the crisp scent of the sea. Children screamed and ran, dogs barked, and caterers were almost too busy to pay proper attention to the ceremony.

At the head of it all stood queen Ariel, prim and dressed in a pale-green gown for the occasion, wearing a joyful expression on her face. While there was no shortage of things to do at the castle without her king or princess, she had missed them terribly.
As soon as they had set foot on solid land, they were rushed by an overjoyed, red-haired queen. Eric smiled, holding his wife lovingly. Ariel had another arm draped around Melody. A loving exchange of greetings were nearly lost in the din of the ceremonial welcoming.

"How did it go?" Ariel fairly shouted.

"What?" Eric shouted back.

Ariel just grinned and shook her head, interlocking her arm through his. She reached out with her other hand and took Melody's. "Let's head to the castle. Carlotta had Louie prepare a feast, and I have some exciting news to tell you."

Melody, who had inherited her mother's playful nature well into womanhood, looked at her with shining eyes. "What is it?"

"You'll have to wait and see," Ariel said in a tone that let her daughter know she had no intention of dropping any hints.

Her face took on a slight tinge of skepticism. "I hope it doesn't have anything to do with another suitor…?"

Ariel bit her lip. "That's another matter entirely. But no."

"Let's get to it, then," Eric said. "The fare on the voyage has been great, but I've actually missed Louie's cooking."

"Louie's a great cook," Melody defended.

"He is, he is," Eric said, "I'm just thinking about those few times he got a little too distracted, and the food ended up...well…"

"Strange?" Ariel offered.

"To put it mildly."

Melody let out a small giggle. "He hasn't done that in a long time, though. Especially not ever since he learned that Sebastian was a friend of ours."

This time it was Ariel who let out a laugh. Louie had rescinded his grudge against the small crab since learning that Sebastian was a childhood friend, mentor, and protector of queen Ariel. But that didn't mean he always got along with him.

"Oh, poor Sebastian…" Ariel was still grinning. Sebastian had overcome his fear of Louie, but in doing so, had been something of a torment to the chef over the years. Many's the time when Sebastian would be wandering by the kitchen doors, only to stop and tease Louie about whatever dish he was "concocting." Louie never retaliated except in heated words, and so their rivalry had really continued, but in a more peaceful manner. Sebastian wasn't the type to tease or poke fun at people, but perhaps the time he'd spent running from Louie and avoiding the pot prompted him to rub it in the chef's face that he was no longer to be seen as a dinner item. No one blamed him.

"How is Sebastian?" Melody asked.

"He's tired, and slow, but he sure hasn't lost his spark. Or his tendency to lecture me on my queenly duties at any given chance."

The three shared yet another laugh, and they proceeded through the welcoming committee to the main entrance of the castle.

Later, when Eric and Melody had refreshed themselves, the family sat together in the private dining quarters. Melody tried not to prod her mother too much regarding the exciting news she'd mentioned, but at long last she could stand it no more.

"Well, mother?" She set down her fork. "What about the exciting news?"

Ariel smiled, and rested her folded hands on the table. "Well...your grandfather is going to hold a family reunion next month."

Melody's eyes lit up. "He is?"

She nodded. "Sebastian informed me this morning. I couldn't wait to tell you two, I know it's been a long time since you've last seen him."

"How about that," Eric said, grinning, "Guess this means my father-in-law will be accommodating me as well?"

"Of course he will," Ariel gave him a playful shove from across the table. "How long has it been since you've visited Atlantica?"

"Too long. It has to be at least four years."

"This is great!" Melody said. "I've missed grandfather so much, not to mention the rest of the family."

"They come and visit plenty often," Ariel observed.

"That's true, but it's always different being in Atlantica. It's just not the same, you know?"

"We've got another trip to look forward to, now," Eric regarded his wife and daughter. "Another adventure to add under our belts, right?"

Ariel held her husband's gaze pensively, before turning to Melody. "Now...about Prince Aldin…"

Melody let out a groan that would have done justice to any teenager.

"I know, I know, but listen - I've postponed the meeting with him. I explained that there was important family business to attend to."

The dark-haired princess let out an audible sigh of relief. "Oh thank you, mother…"

"Postponed, mind you," Ariel said, making sure her daughter understood that she was not completely off the hook.

Eric cleared his throat, and turned to Carlotta, who had bustled into the room. "Thank you, Carlotta. Please give our compliments to Louie, he's really outdone himself this time."

"I certainly shall," she said, beaming.

"Melody, would you mind giving your mother and I a moment?"

Melody looked from her father to her mother. "Not at all." She stood up from the table, but the look on her face told them that she was certain they were going to discuss Prince Aldin. To her credit, though, she said nothing of it and excused herself from the room after giving each parent a quick hug and kiss.

When he was sure she was gone, Eric looked at Ariel. "So...what's really going on?"

Ariel gave a playful grimace, then sighed. "You know me too well, Eric…"

"To be fair, I didn't suspect anything until I saw the look on your face a minute ago."

She quirked an eyebrow. "That's all it took, huh?" She leaned back in her chair. "Well, I might as well tell you. I received an...interesting report from Sebastian that came along with the invitation to the reunion."

Eric nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"...Sebastian delivered a letter from dad. Mostly he talked about how much he missed us all, and how he was looking forward to the reunion. All true, but I think it was just his way of working up to what he really wanted to tell me. It's nothing serious," she explained, noting the look on his face, "there have just been reports circulating Atlantica lately of a stranger lingering on the outskirts of the kingdom."

"A stranger?"

She nodded. "He didn't provide much detail. He did say our scouts had never seen him before, but most have only caught glimpses of him. Whoever and whatever he is, he tends to lurk in the shadows."

"Doesn't sound like something anyone would do unless they had something to hide," he observed.

She nodded. "That's a big part of why everyone's been suspicious about him."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Three weeks."

"And no one's been able to find out anything more?"

"No. Again, that's the strange part, and it's got some people on edge."

"I see..."

There was a pause, and Eric continued, "Does your father feel that it's safe enough to make the journey to Atlantica?"

"Oh he does." She shrugged. "There hasn't been any cause for alarm, not yet anyway. People are just being careful."

"Sure is an interesting mystery, though." He rubbed his chin.

"I agree." She leaned her elbows on the table, allowing a temporary breach in table manners etiquette. "I've been thinking about it on and off since Sebastian delivered the message. He went back to Atlantica as soon as he could."

"And all that anyone can make out so far is that this person - or creature - is a shadowy figure?"

"I know it's hard to believe...No one can make heads or tails of it."

"We'll have to tell Melody."

Ariel nodded, well aware that her daughter was not a child anymore. It didn't prevent her motherly instincts from surfacing, but in a matter like this one, it was best that everyone be aware of what was going on.
A wistful look passed across her face. "It seems like only yesterday she was a running, laughing, playful child who I couldn't keep out of the sea." She chuckled.

He regarded her warmly. "She still is, in a lot of ways. She's a grown woman, but that inner child of hers is still very much alive. Just like it is in her mother." He reached a hand out to hold hers.

"We'll tell her about the situation in Atlantica tomorrow. I think we all could do with some rest and relaxation."

He nodded. "Agreed."