Eric felt his heart racing as he and Ariel walked along the sand to the ocean. Holding his hand, Ariel was leading him to where she usually met her father when she visited. It was at a very specific location on the beach, one private so that no one could stare at the merman or make crowds when Ariel transformed.
As they were walking, Ariel turned to look at him. "You're nervous," she said, not even as a question. He said nothing but gave a slight nod. She smiled in response, reaching up her other hand to touch his cheek.
"Hey," she whispered. "It'll be fine. You can do this." She squeezed his hand for support and continued walking. When they finally reached the spot on the beach, Eric noticed that it really was very quiet and secluded.
Right on time, King Triton rose from the water, making what Eric was about to do a reality. Ariel released Eric's hand and went out to embrace her father. "Hi, Daddy," she said with a smile. "Thank you for doing this."
The sea king grinned at the both of them, and as Ariel stepped back, his triton lit up. "Who's going first?" Triton asked the couple.
Ariel and Eric exchanged a glance. He nodded in her direction. "Ariel. I want to, um, see how it's done." Of course, Eric had seen his wife transform before, but it had been a while since he accompanied her to meet her father, and now that he was about to go through the same transformation as well, he wanted to pay extra attention.
Ariel nodded in agreement, moving in the hug her husband. "It doesn't even hurt a bit," she whispered. "I love you." She pulled away and stepped out into the cool, shallow water. "Okay, Daddy."
The sea king nodded, lowering his mighty trident to the water. Immediately, golden rays appeared in the water, moving towards Ariel. The sight made Eric a bit anxious, as usual, the same questions always going through his mind. What if something goes wrong? What if the change becomes permanent? What if it hurts her?
Suddenly, Ariel was lifted out of the water, enveloped in the golden rays. Her face was peaceful, as if she were enjoying this. But then again, maybe she was. Maybe she didn't even feel anything.
The rays suddenly grew brighter, spinning the redhead around in the air, which in result made Eric nervous. But almost as quickly as they had started, they vanished, and Ariel started descending to the ground.
Triton smiled down at his daughter, who in turn looked at her familiar emerald tail and wiggled it. She giggled and turned to Eric. "Ready?"
Eric took a deep breath and nodded, stepping where Ariel once stood. He shut his eyes as Ariel nodded to her father, and Eric soon felt himself being lifted off the ground. He noticed a tingling feeling run through his legs. And then it stopped. It almost seemed too quick. He opened his blue eyes and glanced down at the royal blue tail that replaced his legs.
Ariel gasped, an excited smile growing on her face. She took Eric's hand, an eager twinkle in her eyes. Eric blinked a few times, looking back between his tail, wife, and father-in-law. He grinned and moved his tail a bit. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. Ariel giggled and embraced him.
"Thank you, Daddy," Ariel said gratefully to her father while still holding on to Eric. The sea king responded, then left the beach, leaving the couple alone.
"Well, where to first, Miss Mermaid?" Eric winked. Ariel giggled and pulled him further into the water, demonstrating how to move the fins. Eric caught on almost immediately, and the two dove into the water.
Eric held his breath at first when he went under, but soon realized he didn't have to anymore. It was a strange feeling, being able to breathe and talk without struggling for breath. Ariel, however, was right in front of him, swimming around the vast ocean. As he watched her, he noticed how graceful she was, how natural this was for her. He also realized how different this was than walking. In that moment, he discovered a new-found love for Ariel, and a deep appreciation for the major sacrifice she had made, all for him.
Ariel turned around and swimmed back to Eric, the smile never leading her face. "Come on," she said quietly, kissing his cheek as she took his hand. "Now you can be part of my world."
First, the couple spent some time swimming around freely, Ariel demonstrating different swimming maneuvers and showing Eric the sea life. Then, she took him to her old grotto, which only held the remnants of her collection. It hadn't been touched since her father destroyed it. When they arrived there, Ariel showed Eric whatever she could, telling him what she had thought everything was called. But then, he noticed the sculpture of his face lying behind a picture frame. He chuckled and picked up the remainder of his 18th birthday present. Saying nothing, he turned to Ariel and waved the piece, making Ariel blush and giggle.
After her grotto, the couple finally went to Atlantica. Eric's jaw dropped when he saw the castle, very impressed by the size and structure of it. Ariel showed him around, bringing him to see her squealing sisters as well.
Ariel and Eric spent hours under the sea, until they peered up at the surface, which revealed that it was dark out. They had to go home. So, Ariel brought her husband back to the surface, meeting King Triton there as well.
The transformation back was smooth and quick, all of Eric's worries about it completely gone. When their legs were restored to them, leaving them alone on the dark beach, both were fatigued and looking forward to heading to bed.
They walked back to the castle silently, hand in hand. But about halfway there, Eric stopped walking, pulling Ariel close to him and kissing her passionately as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The romantic gesture surprised Ariel, who instinctually wrapped her arms around his neck.
After a few minutes, Eric pulled back, but leaned his forward into Ariel's, looking into her light blue eyes. "Thank you, Miss Mermaid. For showing me your world. And for deciding to sacrifice it all for me. I love you so much." His voice was filled with love.
Ariel felt herself blush, and she stood up to kiss him again before responding. "And I'm so glad I did," she whispered. "I love you."