Continuing out on her way from Spoonerville, Ariel relaxed back into the comfortable seat. However, in a few minutes, she heard the horses start neighing and the carriage began to shake. "Wooaahh!" the chauffeur yelled.
Now alert, Ariel sat up and looked ahead to see what had caused the commotion. Peeking through the window, she saw a young, dog-like boy with long black ears stumbling back towards Spoonerville. He must've run in front of the horses. Oddly enough, Ariel thought he looked like what Roxanne had just described to her. "Stop for a minute, please," Ariel asked before calling out the window to the boy. "Excuse me?"
He turned and looked at her, confused. "Uh, is your name Max?" the redhead asked awkwardly. The boy nodded slowly, as if hesitant, and turned to start walking towards Ariel. "I just saw your friend.. Or, uh, girlfriend," Ariel began to explain, pointing towards the town, "and she was frantically looking for you. Roxanne."
Max chuckled, a goofy grin spreading onto his face. "Yup, that's me," he replied. "I was just gunna go look for her myself."
Ariel smiled at him and noticed that he was staring at her. "U-uh, well, um, do you want a ride over?" Max's face lit up and he nodded enthusiastically, the same goofy grin on his face. The redhead started to get the impression that Max thought she was pretty. She had noticed some young men within their kingdom would give the same look to the girls they liked. And she remembered Eric giving her the same look at dinner on her first day as a human.
The princess opened the door for him, telling the driver to turn around. As they headed back towards Spoonerville, the two were silent, Ariel avoiding eye contact with Max. She just looked out the window, feeling his eyes on her as she looked for Roxanne.
Within a few minutes, Ariel spotted the bright red hair of the young girl. "There she is," she pointed, breaking Max from his trance. Both looked towards Roxanne as the carriage halted in front of her.
When Max stepped out, Roxanne blushed, looking very excited. "Thank you very much," Max said to Ariel, the same goofy grin plastered onto his face. Roxanne noticed this and pouted, a frown on her face as she crossed her arms with jealousy.
"You're welcome," Ariel said simply, noting Roxanne's state. She nodded towards the other redhead, who grabbed Max's arm and pulled him away. "Okay, let's go home," Ariel said to the chauffeur, knowing it was best to leave right away as to not further upset Roxanne.