Title: Impress
Author: LucridLucifel
Genre: One shot, romance.
Rating: PG
Fandom: The Little Mermaid
Summary: Impressions come in different shapes. EricxAriel.
A/N: For LJ's 20_fics, prompt #4: Impress.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Little Mermaid, nor do I make a profit from this work of fiction. TLM belongs soley to Disney.
Impress
Love is a song that never ends.
- Bambi
Ariel thought of the what-if's concerning her role as Eric's wife, and Queen, in a different world. She's was the princess of the sea and of the merpeople.
Ariel had and still has not idea what is to be expected and socially acceptable of in human culture. She did what would be considered as odd to many little quirks, for example, collect useless junk that many would consider borderline hoarding.
And she lacked proper etiquette and mannerisms. She embarrassed Eric on a few occasions in front of his guests. He laughed it off like a good sport. Not wanting to make the situation any more awkward than necessary, but there has to be a moment where the line is drawn.
She figured, anyway.
She pondered and pondered what she spectacle might be the best solution. Ariel wanted more than anything to make Eric proud to have her as his wife. She knew he loved her and that was great!
—But, well, she felt out of place in this new world of humans. She was fascinated by it, but just as intimidated by it.
The last thing Ariel wanted was another situation with a different woman trying to step in her turf and steal Eric's heart from her.
She sighed.
She stopped and sat on the beach. The sand feeling warm against her bare feet. The bits of wet grains slipping between her toes and crunching as she wiggled them.
It really was a nice day. The sun was shining bright. It was hot enough to go in for a dip in the ocean, sparkling under the reflections of light it caught. She was starting to feel very sticky and hot. She considered stripping herself of her blue casual dress and jumping in with just her under garments on.
Just before Ariel decided on a choice, a little beyond her in what appeared to be sand made ditch, she saw something. A little brown something. She even heard a low whine.
Ariel immediately went to investigate and as she approached the ditch, she found an ocean-washed dog laying on its side, whining and shivering. Ariel removed her dress and toss it to the side. She couldn't risk wetting it since it would weight a ton and wash her to who knows where.
She was human now and she frequently needed oxygen supply. In her pantaloons, Ariel slipped in and went to the animal's aid. She wasn't too familiar with dogs, but they were incredibly sweet and smart creatures. She was rather fond of Max, Eric's sheepdog.
For a moment Ariel thought the dog wasn't going to make it, but it was breathing enough to prove it still had some life left in it.
She found his leg to be injured. She ripped out two long lines of fabric from her abandoned dress and wrapped them around the dog's leg. She sat with it unsure of what to do. The dog must have fallen off a ship or gotten lost.
It was lucky to be alive.
"There, there, it will be all right. I'll make sure of it," she said, soothingly. In an effort to comfort the dog, Ariel rubbed its head. The dog's pointy, furry ears perking up a notch from the attention.
From the distance, Eric watched.
He was looking for Ariel all over the place. She was quite the free spirited girl that he often wasn't sure where to start looking for her when she decided to step out. The banquet from last night stirred some unnecessary tension that left Ariel uncomfortable and quiet for the rest of the evening.
Many high society types can really be crude and rather hurtful on how they say things.
Ariel unfortunately asked a wrong question and in return had many rude and hurtful criticisms and remarks thrown at her.
Eric hadn't seen Ariel since the morning. He went looking for her out of concern.
Ariel was different from most girls. She was adventurous and wild. Genuine and curious. Extremely exotic, beautiful and she was talented with her voice.
He could not have asked for a more special person to touch his life.
It hurt him quite as much to hear those crude people make ignorant remarks and witness Ariel's hurt reaction.
He wanted to find her and apologize to her. He should have defended her out of respect. By the time he was able to say anything, Ariel had left the room.
But, as he watched the former mermaid show enough compassion and kindness to a stray dog, a great warmth filled his heart and he feel in love with Ariel all over again.
Ariel may not be like most princesses he have crossed paths with, but she was the only one who impressed him with her undeniable beauty many hoped to achieve.
The End.