Ok, so I have been sucked dry by mommy hood and my loving daughter and husband that I haven't been on…in a long, long time. BUT last weekend, we got "The Little Mermaid" on DVD and my 18 month old LOVES it so much I have watched it five times. In one day. Every day or the past week. That started this idea floating around in my head again. I had actually started this story a while ago and never published it. Then I lost the files when my MacBook bit the dust. :'( I miss my Mac but my hubby's Windows will do for now. So here is my little take on the story of a mermaid and a prince.

Raoul leaned over the rail of the ship, trying to keep his breathing as slow as he could. The choppy waves didn't help and he felt another wave of nausea threatening the back of his throat. He closed his eyes waiting for the feeling to pass. A heavy hand thumped his back.

"Good day for sailing, eh Raoul?" the man said.

Glaring over his shoulder, Raoul growled at the prince, "Oh, yes. Delightful." He turned back forward. "I will never get on a boat again. I swear it."

Prince Erik chuckled. "You have said that before, friend. Yet, every time I go somewhere on a 'boat' you tag along. Why do you think that is? Hmm?"

Deeply inhaling Raoul straitened to his full height, coming an inch shorter than Erik's six foot figure. "Because I am here to keep you from doing something stupid, and possibly getting yourself killed or something. You took me off the streets; I am in debt to you, Erik."

He opened one eye to Erik, who was mouthing the last few words along with him. He froze and smiled at being caught. Raoul snorted and smirked back. Erik laughed again and slapped his shoulder again. "You, my friend, would never have lived a life on the sea, be glad I am not a sailor or pirate. You'd have died for sea sickness!"

A passing sailor joined in with, "Or a mermaid!" He dropped the barrel he carried with a thud. "Sirens of the sea. They sing with unearthly voices, luring men to their watery graves! And take the treasures of the sunken ships to their King, Triton."

"Mermaids?" asked Erik.

"Nonsense," muttered Raoul. "Sailor rubbish that they don't teach princes in their castles. Absolute drivel."

Erik turned to his friend with a look of interest. "You grew up in the palace with me for the most part, how is it that you have never shared these drivels with me?"

"You never asked." Raoul threw up his hand and began to walk away. "Besides, they don't even exist! There is no such thing as mermaids or a kingdom under water ruled by anyone named Triton! It's ridiculous!"

Erik and the sailor glanced at each other at the sudden outburst. Erik took off down the deck after Raoul.

"Raoul, wait!"

"Christine! Christine, wait!" Meg shouted after the girl swimming in front of her. She moved her fin as fast as she could. Christine was a fast swimmer. Christine whirled around to Meg. "I can't swim as fast as you and your fish!"

"Hey!" Flounder sputtered. "No one asked you to even come along you know! Slow poke!" The yellow fish stuck his tongue out at Meg.

Meg's eyes narrowed. "Keep doing that, one day a shark will bite it off!"

Flounder slapped a fin over his face and spun round, looking for said beast.

"Oh, stop it both of you!" Christine turned and swam off again. "We're almost there!" She came to a ridge and peered over the top. "There it is!" she exclaimed. Pointing to the sunken vessel she had found the day before. Turning back with an excited gleam in her blue eyes, she whispered, "Let's go!"

Christine took off with Meg and Flounder in her wake. They reached the ship and stopped at a hole. Flounder watched as first Christine and then Meg slipped inside. Meg poked her head back out and spoke to him, "Aren't you coming?"

Flounder shook his head. "No way. It's dark and creepy, who knows what's in there."

"Oh, ok then. We'll go in and you can stay out here and..." Meg gave a small smile, "keep an eye out for sharks." She waived her fingers as she went back inside.

"Yeah," Flounder nodded in agreement. "You guys go and I'll stay-" Flounder froze. "What?! Sharks?!" He dodged inside, ramming into Meg and Christine. The three rammed into a wall, breaking through to the other side.

Meg held the quaking fish in her arms. "Are you ok?"

Christine lay on the floor giggling. She tipped her head back and spied something on the table. She whirled on to her stomach and swam over. Scooping up the silver object she examined it in her hand. It was thin, slightly longer than her hand. It started smaller on one end and then grew slightly bigger at the other with three points. "Oh," she sighed, holding it up in the light. "Have you ever seen something so wonderful?"

Flounder and Meg swam over. "What is it?" Flounder asked.

"I don't know," Christine shrugged, and stuffed it in her bag. "But I bet Scuttle will know! Let's go ask him!" She started off, only to be caught by Meg.

"Christine!" she hissed. "You know you can't go above the surface! If your father found out-"

"And who's going to tell him? You?"

"Uh guys?" Flounder whispered as he looked out the ships window.

"No, I wouldn't," Meg protested. "But you dad is the King, and he has ways of finding things out…"

Christine smiled. "Then as long as you and flounder don't tell him, he won't find out."

"Guys!" Flounder shrieked, swimming between the two.

"What?"

"SHARK!" he cried as the large creature smashed through the ships window.

Well, there is chapter one. Man, it was interesting to describe the fork like I had never seen one before. I couldn't' call it a fork because they had never seen one. But, I feel like I did okay with it. As always please review.