Prequel


Ariel swam as fast as her tail would propel her through the surrounding blueness. Like a bolt of lightning, she shot through the bay's waters in nearly thirty seconds, reaching the shores in no time. Dragging herself onto the sand, she pulled her body up to the point where the tide no longer reaches the land and kept shimmying. Soon her tail began to melt away as she changed into her human form.

It had not been very long since she'd learned to walk, and she stumbled to some degree upon standing and attempting to run, but caught herself in time to adjust her footing, shift her weight, and then break into a run. Nobody would have called her crazy for acting out in such a way, in such a desperate manner, for they all knew what was to come shortly.

Ariel nearly ripped her lavender dress climbing the hill to the palace, but all that bothered her were those pesky branches in the brush catching on her and slowing her down. "Move," she told them, with a wave of her hand, and they did. "Thank you," she grumbled. Finally reaching the flat ground, she kept running. A tree branch swung into her path and nearly hit her. With a screech, she ducked, and called, "Don't touch me!" to it and its neighbors, and they fell back out of her way.

Irritated, she sprinted straight into the town and wove through its establishments, several people bowing to their future princess. She clumsily curtsied and greeted to them between steps. "Sorry! Gotta run!" she hollered as she rounded the pathway to the palace gates. As soon as they saw her running, the guards opened the gates. As she darted inside, she less-than-calmly and very loudly bid the guards good morning.

"ERIC!" she began to shriek, heading for the throne room. "Eric!"

Her shouts echoed through the castle, and the prince, upon hearing his name, left his pacing of the throne room to his father and dashed out into the hall, nearly running right smack into her. "Ariel!" It was no matter, however, because he grabbed her in his arms and held her close to himself at once. Her toes barely brushed the ground as he lifted her.

"Eric," she exhaled, tightening her arms around his shoulders.

"My dear, I thought I wouldn't see you before the curse hit us," he sighed, pressing a kiss to her fiery mane. Gently, he set her down, not letting go of her hand.

"I swam as fast as I could. It's chaos in the water out there right now. I must have knocked over at least fifty sharks, forty jellies, twenty whales, eighty schools, and…oh, poor Flounder, I was dragging him the entire way to drop him with his family. I do hope he's with them." Ariel gravely looked out of the pillars at the teal abyss.

"Love, I'm sure he's fine. He's a fish, it won't be terribly hard for him. They have the best instincts, you know." He lifted her chin up to look her in the eyes.

"I know. You're right. How are things here? The town seems to be in a small panic."

"You're correct, only it's much bigger than it is small." Ariel sighed.

"And there's nothing we can do to stop this. I wish we could give them hope."

"I have tried. All I can say to them is that we must keep faith that the curse will be broken. And James and Snow White believe it," he recounted.

Ariel let out a breath she'd been holding. "Then we must believe it. I saw her briefly this morning. I called to her from the bay of their castle and scaled the wall to their balcony. She seems well, albeit in some incredible pain."

Eric peered at her in surprise. "The child is coming?"

Ariel nodded. "Yes. Snow is convinced it will be a girl, but I'm not sure how she can know yet. We shall see, one day."

"Of course, one day. How are your father and sisters?"

Ariel grinned, but her smile faded into a sullen look. "Doing just fine. If the curse strikes before I return there, I've bid them all goodbye already. I know we'll meet again, even if it be a long time before then. You don't think she'll turn us against one another, do you?"

Eric shrugged. "I don't know what she'll do. Plague us with ogres that cannot be conquered, perhaps?"

Ariel jumped. "Eric!" she shrieked. But when she turned to look at him and saw the twinkle in his eye, she began to chuckle. "I suppose joking about it is better than being sour over it, isn't it?"

"Now, now, I might easily have been sour over it with somebody else, but you seem to make me want to be happier all the time. How do you do that?" he said with a grin, pressing his forehead to hers. She pretended to think for a moment.

"My dear Eric, had you forgotten? I knew I gave you the wrong oysters when you had that awful headache," she said, sighing dramatically. Eric laughed and gave her a gentle kiss.

"How could I let that slip my mind?" he chuckled, and kissed her again.

All at once, thunder began to roll in the distance. The two looked at one another, troubled, and abruptly hurried to the window. Hundreds of yards away a thick purple and green lighting cloud was forming and spreading over the land.

"It's her!" Ariel shouted over the thunder.

The King ran from the throne room and began to shout calming statements to anyone nearby, however, his actions did not have their desired effect. Screams erupted from every corner of the castle and carried up from the town. He threw up his hands as his wife the Queen came out front he throne room to join him, her face gone white as the sands miles below them.

"Ariel!" she cried, running to hug her future daughter-in-law.

"Sheila," Ariel murmured as she caught the older woman in the embrace.

"Your family, are they safe?" the Queen asked.

Ariel shrugged. "About as safe as anyone can be right now, madame," she assured her. Which, they both one, wasn't very safe.

The King strode over and hugged Ariel, as well, before catching his son in a manly hug. "Dear, you mustn't worry. One day things will be right again."

Ariel nodded, clasping Eric's hand. "I know, sire. I believe it. What'll we do in the meantime."

The King looked out at the approaching clouds, about 100 yards away now. "Whatever we must do. We will know."

Ariel leaned in to Eric as he held her close, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Ariel, I promise we'll be together like we wanted to again one day. I'm never losing you. I love you."

Ariel looked him in the eyes and wrapped her hands around his neck. "I love you, too, Eric," she said, just before they kissed and the purple electric haze closed in on the castle.