LoveLifeAlways94, you the only person that rocks in this world.
The. Only. One.
Now, I check my traffic stats, and over 50 people have viewed this story. Note the fact that only LoveLifeAlways94 ROCKS! Why? Because a) my first review, and b) my only review.
C'mon folks.
There's a lot of you. Wont kill ya to say something.
Anyway, ranting aside... enjoy the next part. *dramatic sigh* if only you'd review.
*Part II*
- Chapter 1: Down in the Sea -
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Ariel
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Ariel held her tail to her chest.
She was on a conscious strike of silence.
Her father put her on punishment, and she decided he'd be punished too. For some reason, when she was on punishment, he expected her to still act like herself. Singing and dancing. Smiling and whatnot. It was absurd. She knew it only angered her further when she fought back about it. Apparently, 16 year old's were more, 'mature'.
So she made sure she frowned extra and locked herself away longer.
It was getting dark she observed, looking out her window. Well, it was always dark. She lived at the bottom of the ocean. The lights were dimming, was what she meant. There were lights that lined the city's upper limit. They dimmed accordingly to morning, afternoon, and night. They were a far ways up, being about 6 or 7 stories above the tallest building in Atlantica. Above that, no merfolk or fish were allowed to go. It was forbidden. The forbidden zone. Evil. Whoooo, scary.
Ariel nearly laughed at herself. Yes, scary indeed... if you weren't her. She loved that forbidden zone. Loved it. Loved it more than her own home. It was sad, but the truth.
She heard loud laughing approach her door. Her sisters no doubt.
Like always, Attina came in first. She had a small smile on her face, trying to keep that image of royalty, no doubt. She was the oldest and felt it was her 'duty' to keep her royal appearance up at all times.
"Ladies," she said, laughing a little, "Please, stop yelling."
"Oh come on!" Arista screamed, "Fin is hot!"
Arista was the most energetic. She never stopped screaming.
"He's not the best kisser." Adella stated, "Seriously."
Adella was boy-crazy.
"Talk about squid lips." Adrina laughed.
Adrina cracked jokes even when they weren't funny. It was like her first language, or something.
"You kissed Fin?!" Alana asked, "But he's mine!"
Alana was convinced the world revolved around a tube of lipstick. She loved makeup and anything it had to do with.
"Oh stop it," Aquata said, the orderly one as always, "They're just joking."
Alana pouted, going to her vanity and brushing out her hair.
"Talking yet?" Attina asked, sitting on Ariel's bed and brushing out her hair. "You made daddy really upset at dinner tonight when you didn't answer him."
Ariel made a zipped lips motion.
"If I were you," Adella said, "I'd say something to daddy asap. You know he has a temper."
Of course Ariel knew. She was grounded in the first place for it. Well, mostly for it. She'd been out after dark... again and Triton hadn't liked that very much. He'd yelled at her for 10 minuets straight. She had only gotten in about 3 words otherwise.
"I bet your hungry," Alana said, "You didn't touch your plate. Here, I nabbed this for you."
Alana gave Ariel a bundle of a napkin. Ariel opened it, seeing some of her dinner wrapped tight. She ate at it hungrily. She had been hungry. But part of her protest involved not eating. Though sneaking food was totally allowed, as long as her father didn't know.
"We can't keep doing this." Attina said, going to her own vanity, "It's childish. If you have a problem you should talk it out with daddy."
"Oh please." Adrina said, "We all know daddy wouldn't listen. At least, not to Ariel. All she ever does is break his rules."
"I think its kind of fun!" Arista said, "I mean, every family has a rebel, right?"
Ariel wanted to say she wasn't a rebel, but she refused to speak. One of her sisters might accidentally let her father know about it. And that would ruin everything.
Trashing her napkin, Ariel gathered her pillow and piled on to Attina's bed. It was her night to talk about her beau. The night before had been Alana's turn, in which she talked endlessly about Fin.
All of Ariel's older sisters were already engaged to some magnificent noble of high standards. All, of course, except Ariel. Though she suspected her father had her groom-to-be already picked out.
It made Ariel's hands clammy and her head hurt, just thinking about being married to someone she didn't choose. Someone her father picked out. Someone she might not love. Though, it seemed, her father wasn't as bad as a match-maker as she dreaded. He'd picked men for all her sisters, and they were all happily in love. Deeply in love, actually.
Her sisters each had a date planned for them one day a week. That day had been Attina. She and her fiancé Rider had gone to the clifftop. Something that sounded shady and suggestive to Ariel, but was apparently a well established family owned restaurant.
It all sounded rather drab to Ariel, dinner at a dull restaurant, but she supposed that when you were in love, anything, no matter how boring, was alright.
"Well," Attina began, losing her royal air and changing more into a teenage girl, "Rider picked me up in his fathers carriage-"
"The big one?" Arista asked, excited.
"The big one." Attina confirmed.
"Wow," Adrina mused, sarcastically "He's some guy. Great abs and a big ride? Total keeper."
"Shut up." Aquata said, "I think its romantic."
"He's just showing off," Alana said, "He knows how royal-obsessed you are and he wanted to impress you."
"And whats wrong with that?" Attina asked. "If he's to be my husband I think that's only fair that he tries to win me over."
"She's right." Adella said, "It like, rules of courting."
All the girls nodded in agreement, murmuring 'that's true' and whatnot.
The rest of Attina's story went uninterrupted. Apparently, she and Rider talked non-stop during dinner. She made him laugh once and he made her laugh so hard she choked on her sea-shake. In which he'd sweetly patter her back until she could breathe normally again.
In general, Rider was quieter than her other sisters suitors. But Ariel knew that was just right for Attina. Her quiet, composed attitude could only be matched with someone of some sort of like. Someone loud and rowdy, kind of like Adrina's suitor, would never work.
Attina ended her tale with his sweet swipe of his tale against hers, a big sign of affection. Daddy would never approve of Attina swiping tales with a boy on the palace steps, but Ariel liked the idea of Attina doing something Triton wouldn't like. It made her feel less like an outcast. And besides, Attina played by the rules too often. Swiping tales would probably do her some good. Let her live a little.
Everyone drifted off to their beds after Attina finished her story. Ariel had to admit it, though, she always entered a sort of daze after hearing her sisters story's. They told them so love struck. It made love sound like an adventure. Or a drug. A wonderful drug, of course. It made Ariel's heart yearn for the very thing.
She wanted to fall in love, too.
Laying on her pillow, she stared at the dimly lit lights of her ocean sky and watched one sway slightly in the ocean current. Closing her eyes, she wished for love. It didn't matter with who, as long as he loved her and she had a chance to be with him.
She opened her eyes to find that the swaying light had stopped moving. She hoped she'd seen it first.
. * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . *
. * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * .
Ariel woke to Adella shaking her shoulders.
She was about to tell the girl to stop, but remembered her silence. Knowing it was futile anyway, she simply sat up.
"Get up, Ariel." Adella said, dragging her over to her vanity, "Now. Come on. Shake those bags away."
"I think we should go with a hot coral." Alana suggested, "Or no, maybe ocean tide. We don't want her to look like she's trying too hard, right?"
"Her hair," Aquata squealed, "Should we just brush it or put it up?"
"I'm more concerned about her skin." Attina said, "It looks so... orange."
The orangeness was a result of going to the surface so often. A bit of a tan. She had hoped no one would notice, but apparently it was obvious.
"Just throw some powder on her or something." Adella said. "She's only got 10 minutes."
"This is so exciting!" Arista shrived, "He's so cute! I think he'll be perfect!"
It was way to early for that. Ariel could hardly process one sister at a time. With them all talking ab-lib, she was losing her mind.
She made a face at Adella, waiting for an answer.
"Oh," Adella said, putting gloss on Ariel's lips, acting nonchalant. "There's a boy in the dinning room. He'll be joining us for breakfast."
"He's so cute!" Arista pointed out again, "He's got a red tail and brown hair. Green eyes and the body of an Olympic swimmer!"
"Careful," Attina warned, "Your engaged, Arista."
"I'm not interested in him." Arista countered, "I'm talking about for Ariel."
"She's right though." Adrina said, combing Ariel's hair.
"He's totally here to court you," Aquata said, "I annoyed daddy until he told me he was 17. Daddy wont tell me his name though."
"We'll just have to wait until breakfast." Attina said, "Which is now."
"At least you don't look tired." Alana said, swimming out the room.
Ariel cast a look at herself in the mirror before joining her sisters. She didn't have tons of makeup on, just barely actually, and her hair was down. She looked like herself, which was good. She wanted her possible future husband to recognize her after they were married.
A silent scream escaped her lips. Maybe this was him. Maybe he was the one. What if she fell in love with him at first sight? What if he was amazing? Adventurous. Smart. Funny. And totally not boring.
She swan after her sisters, pushing against them to get her first look at her potential true-love, but her father was talking to him and his monstrous size hid the boy completely. Grunting, Ariel took her usual seat between her father and Alana.
Sebastian was at the other end of the room. He was a busy little crab, hardly ever seen, but he provided calming music during their meals and he waved his conductors stick starting up his band. A calm melody played and everyone fell into a calmer mood.
The maids brought the food to the table and removed the covers, letting the aroma out. Ariel was starving. Knowing this day was important, she decided she'd break her code of honor and eat. And when the time was right, she'd talk to the mystery boy as well.
Triton seemed to take a whiff of the air and he invited the guest to sit at the table. The moment Triton moved, Ariel was met with the dark seaweed green eyes of the boy. He was, as Arista said, cute. He clearly either swam a lot or worked hard, because he was a lot bigger in size than most the mermen she knew. His brunette hair was neatly cut and overall, he had a 'clean' look to him.
But Ariel felt no fireworks. Time didn't seem to stop for her like it did with her sisters. That saddened her a bit, but she knew not everyone fell in love at first sight. He might grow on her, after all.
"Girls," Triton said, "I'd like to introduce you to Gill."
Gill dipped his head in their direction and Ariel and her sisters returned the greet.
"Gill will be staying with us for a while." Triton said, and Ariel smiled.
He'd said that when he introduced her sisters to their suitors. So Gill was there for her. She was so excited she didn't think she could contain herself.
The maids returned, bringing them their straws. Everything on the table, though solid-looking, was actually just another form of a liquid. Picking them up with your hands was obviously a no-no, so beautifully decorated straws was placed beside everyone.
Triton dug in, but she knew he was waiting for her to say something to Gill. He was there for her, after all. Her mind had been reeling just previous, and she felt her mind draw a blank. She couldn't think of anything to say.
"So, Gill," Attina said, right before Ariel could say something, "What type of work do you do?"
Ariel knew Attina said that because (a) she still thought Ariel was doing her silent thing, and (b) Ariel had frozen up and she was trying to alleviate that embarrassment.
"Well," Gill said, setting his straw down, "My father owns a fungus mine. Inevitably, it will eventually be my own."
He owned... a fungus mine. How... great.
"Organic." Aquata said, "It's a great renewable resource."
"Right you are." Gill said, pointing to her as if she had won a prize, "It's growing popularity will steadily decrease our use of fossil fuels until eventually, the stuff will be forgotten."
"No more oil accidents." Adrina said, sarcastically. Though she said it that way, her look was innocent. She had a special gift for lying.
"What do you like to do for fun?" Arista asked, changing from Adrina's comment, "Working at a mine, things must be so exciting."
"Quite the contrary, actually" he said, "I only help lift the heavy stuff. But in my spare time, I like to read and paint. Anything low key and quiet, really. I like staying indoors."
Low key? Quiet? Ariel liked to read and paint as much as the next person, but not all the time. She couldn't bare to stay cooped up in a house all day. And being a miners wife would mean she was. Miners worked crazy shifts, and if she married Gill, she'd be forced to become a house wife. She'd hardly ever leave her house, especially with Gill being so... restrained.
The thought hurt her more than she thought it would, but it was clear, Gill was not her perfect match. Suddenly, she didn't feel so hungry anymore.
"Reading is fun." Alana said, downcast. She threw a look to Ariel and Ariel knew she understood.
Her sisters all gave her a look of pity. Gill just wasn't her prince charming. But that didn't mean her prince wasn't out there. Triton had simply just made a mistake in judgment. She knew his next attempt at her suitor would be much better. She was truly surprised he thought Gill would work.
Nothing exciting happened the rest of dinner. Adella asked Gill about what a mine was like, and he talked all through breakfast about it.
When the maids arrived to clean up, and her sisters excused themselves, Ariel was about to follow them when her father called her to his office. She hung her head, swimming behind him.
"Ariel." he said sternly, closing the door behind her.
"Daddy I know," she interrupted, "I was going to talk to him, really I was. Attina just beat me to it."
"That's not the point."
"I know it's not," she said, "But either way, I'm glad I didn't lead him on. He's really not my type."
"Ariel, he's a perfect match for you."
What? How was that possible?
"Daddy," Ariel said, gently, "Gill is nowhere near my perfect match. I mean, I guess he's a nice guy and all, but he's so quiet and withdrawn. Except of course when he's talking about... fungus."
She whispered that last part and shivered. A life of fungus. Not exactly what she had in mind.
"I'm sorry you feel that way," he said, his voice still stern, "Because he's already you betrothed."
Already...
"Daddy your joking." she said, disbelieving, "You wouldn't do that. You really have some amazing, fun, guy up your sleeve, right? You would never make me marry Gill, right? I know you were upset with me, but that's beyond punishment!"
Her voice was cracking. Her father, Triton, he wasn't so cruel. He ruled with an iron fist, but she and her sisters came first in his life, right? He loved her, right? He would never, could never, make her so unhappy.
"Daddy, tell me your joking already!"
Your marriage will take place in two weeks," he said simply, "Your not a little girl anymore. You can't imagine you'll always be so wild. You need a stable man who can support you."
"Support me?!" she asked, "I'm a princess! Why do I need support? You rule every bit of water on this planet! My ancient old grandparents fought for all four oceans and you think I need support?Why? Cant I have someone I love?"
His face was a type of firm she had never seen. He was serious. No, he was beyond serious. He really wanted her to marry Gill. An arranged marriage? How could he destroy her life for her? Before she even lived it. Did she have no say in what her future held?
Her vision became blurry as tears sprang to her eyes. She swam from the room, only getting a few feet before she reached a column that signaled the entrance of the dinning room. She grabbed onto the column and slid to the floor, crying.
How could her father do that to her?
The water around her pushed her hair back and she knew someone had approached her. Through blurry eyes, she made out the face of Tide, Arista's fiancé. His usually jubilant and cheerful face was twitched with concern.
"Ariel," he said, "Whats-"
But she shook her head. She couldn't even tell him. She could hardly believe it herself.
Tide, gently picked her up and swam her down the hall. She couldn't even see where she was going. Tide approached a door and knocked, and Ariel saw blonde hair answer the door.
"Tide!" Arista said, "Hey- whats wrong? Attina!"
"Bring her inside." Attina said, approaching, "Put her on her bed."
Ariel wiped at her eyes futilely. Arista motioned Tide out the room and the girls gathered on Ariel's bed.
"Whats wrong, Ariel?" Alana asked.
"Yeah," Adella said, "It can't be that bad."
Ariel shook her head. It was that bad.
"Its daddy," she choked out, "He's... he's... he's making me marry Gill."
That brought on a new set of tears.
"Gill?" Adrina asked, "But... but Gill's so... so Gill. He can't do that!"
"It's already arranged." Ariel sobbed, "In two weeks."
"No!" Arista said, "You can't marry him! It's so not you!"
"It's so not anyone." Adrina droned, "What are we gonna do?"
She directed her question to Attina. Attina was the oldest and the one who usually solved the problems. But even she was quiet now.
"I can't marry him." Ariel said, "I'd die if I had to be a miners wife."
Alana rubbed Ariel's back and Adella comfortingly ran her fingers through Ariel's hair.
"Maybe," Adella suggested, "He's not so bad. He could be a really good guy."
"He gets excited talking about fungus." Arista said, and it made Adrina laugh.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, "But Arista's right. I can't see you with him, Ariel. I can't see anyone alive with him, actually."
"I'll run away before I marry him," Ariel said, "I'll disappear and never come back."
"Don't talk like that, Ariel." Attina said, "This is serious. Maybe you should talk to daddy about it."
"I tried," Ariel said, "He just yelled at me. He wont change his mind, I know that for sure."
They were all silent for a moment. Ariel was serious, she'd rather run away. She was prepared to, actually. She wasn't sure where'd she go or what she'd do. She had a good amount of money saved up, but what did that do if you were running away forever?
"Would you really run away?" Arista asked seriously.
"Arista!" Attina scolded, "Don t say that kind of stuff."
"I'm just asking," she defended, "Imagine yourself in her place!"
Attina began pacing the room, but Arista looked to Ariel.
"I would." Ariel told her, "And I just might. Two weeks isn't a lot of time. If I leave tonight I might get some good distance."
Ariel got up from her bed, pulling a bag from under her bed.
"I've got enough money to have a bus take me a long ways. I'd take a seahorse, but I don't want to have to spend money on him."
"Here." Alana said, going to her vanity and getting her wallet, "You know I'm not a saver, but I've got something."
She handed Ariel the few dollars she had. And in an instant, all her sisters swam to their respective money-hiding-spot and pulled out their wallets. Attina stopped her pacing. She couldn't believe this was happening. They were really helping her run away? Little Ariel? Their youngest sister?
Attina stared at her pillow on her bed. It was where she kept her own purse. For her previous birthday, her father had given her a bank card. Attina was a saver. She rarely brought things, preferring to just borrow from her sisters. The card had a lot of money on it.
Hesitantly, she fetched her purse. 50 sea-bucks and a bank card.
Alana put a hair brush in Ariel's bag and Attina silently held her purse out to Ariel. She knew she was being stared at by all her sisters, but how would she feel if Ariel went out there and she hadn't done everything she could to better prepare her? And if she was in Ariel's position, she might run away herself.
"Thank you," Ariel said, taking her purse.
"0598." Attina told her, "That's the card number."
"Your cards in there?" Adrina asked.
Attina nodded.
They all spent another 30 minutes swimming around the room, looking for things Ariel might need to take with her. A brush. A pair of Alana's new seashells. Toothbrush and toothpaste. A family picture. Some change they found on the floor.
"I think I'm set." Ariel said, looking through her bag. "Anything else I need I have enough money to buy."
"Be a smart spender." Adrina told her, "And don't pull out more money than you need. Keep it hidden away."
"Don't even think about swimming at night either." Aquata said, "And seriously, stay close to towns and cities. No open ocean stuff."
"That's good." Attina said, pointing to Aquata approvingly, "Be smart, Ariel. No stupid moves."
"I will." Ariel said, "And when I'm settled somewhere, I'll find a way to let you know I'm okay."
"If the card runs out I can always add more money." Attina said. "Just call somehow, okay?"
"Alright." Ariel said.
They gave each other their infamous group hug, Ariel being crushed in the middle. And with that, she swam out the window, turning and giving a final wave before she hurried to the end of Atlantica.
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Eric
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Eric dragged himself down the castle halls.
He would have loved to go to his room and fall onto the bed. He knew he'd be asleep within minutes. But he stopped in his room just long enough to grab his boots, and put down his papers. He'd finished a lot of the paperwork, but he still had a great deal to go. He resigned to finish them another time and made his way back outside and down to the beach.
The boat wouldn't be ready to go for another half hour or so, so he settled himself in the sand. Max was let out, and the large dog came barking down towards him. Eric was too tired to move, but the heavy dog stepped right on his stomach and he was forced to sit up, pushing the dog away.
"Ow, Max." he complained, "Play in the water, I'm tired."
The dog barked, but ran off.
The moon was out and the stars was bright, but the castles lights were lit, blinding out their lights. Not to mention not making a good napping environment, but Eric ignored it, simply throwing his arm over his eyes. If he'd really been thinking, he would have brought a pillow with him from his room.
"Eric!" called a voice and he groaned, "Prince Eric!"
He had to face it. He'd be getting little to no sleep. He got up, brushing the sand off of himself, only for Grimsby to show up and do it for him.
"How many times, my boy, have I told you not to lay in the sand. Its undignified."
Eric rolled his eyes. Everything, to the man, was undignified. Taking a deep breath was undignified. Princes breathed easily and regularly. Irregular chest movement, caused by the deep breath, was something common folk did. Princes weren't allowed to laugh, they chuckled. Laughing was loud and undignified. Something common folk did. Not that there was ever anything to laugh at anyway.
"Princes don't roll their eyes," Grimsby said, pulling out a comb and combing Eric's hair. "It's undignified."
Eric snatched himself away from the man, walking to the water. He was smothered. Smothered in guards. Smothered in work. Smothered in his title. And definitely, smothered by Grimsby. The man micromanaged his entire life. What time he woke up. What time he ate. What he ate. When he finished eating it. The man chose the soap he used.
It was maddening.
"Your too much like your mother," Grimsby said, following him and combing his hair again, "She didn't have a single royal gene in her body and it showed."
Grimsby said that way too often. The man made it seem like his mother had been a witch. A wild woman with no sense and no skills. But Eric remembered his mother faintly, and from what he did know, she was amazing. She was nice. She cared for him. She even let him make a few decisions on his own. And he'd been just a boy then.
Grimsby made it seem like she was as low as it got on the ever-known caste system. But Eric didn't much care for that system anyway. People were people, weren't they? A few times, he wished he was more like they were. Maybe even a few castes lower than his own.
"Why do you have those ungodly boots on?" Grimsby asked. "Surely you know how undignified they are."
The next person to say 'undignified' was getting decked.
"Ahoy!" the captain called from the deck of the ship, "She's ready when you are, lad."
Grimsby opened his mouth, but Eric made a beeline for the ship. He got on it whenever he could. Not just because he loved it, but because he knew Grimsby hated it. But the man was too overprotective to allow him to do a thing on his own, so he tagged along anyway.
Eric boarded the ship, opting to climb over the railing instead of using the latter just to tick Grimsby off.
"Lyon's in good condition." the captain said, heading to the steam room. "We set off in a few minutes."
The Lyon was the name of the ship. Eric had wanted to name it Tidal Wave II, after his father's ship, but Grimsby denied the request, saying 'a ship doomed to sink should not have a second chance'. Eric wanted to point out that the Lyon had also sunk, in the 1600's back when the Mayflower was still sailing, but he opted to keep quiet. A disagreement avoided with the old man was already a silently won battle.
Eric shed some of his uniform clothes and tossed them in his cabin, before he made his way up the main mast, climbing the tiny pegs he'd put in himself, and took a seat on the main boom. It was high above the deck of the ship, and to that day, Grimsby hadn't found his hiding spot. Apparently, it was too 'undignified' to climb around the ship like an animal. The old man never even thought to look up.
Eric watched him then, walking around the ship and looking for him. Eric simply leaned back and kept silent. There was no way he was directing the mans attention to himself. This was nearly the only spot he could have to himself. His room was always under top inspection and he could barely call it his own anyway.
Max boarded the ship like always, running, barking, and knocking down crew members. Max was always Eric's biggest concern when it came to his hiding spot. The dog was very obvious, and he stuck to Eric like glue. The dog could easily get his hiding spot discovered.
Max, like always, found him easily, but Eric clapped at him, and lowered his arms like he would if he wanted Max to sit down. New trick he was working on. They dog yipped once, but rolled onto his back and kept silent.
"Aye crew!" the captain bellowed, "Casting off! Secure for sea!"
Several men scurried below Eric, all trying to get their jobs done in a time the captain would approve of. Eric would normally join them, the chaos being just enough to make him forget about whatever had made him want to take the ship out, but that night he simply listened to the familiar sounds.
They had a large shipment order to fulfill. One he was none too happy with. Princess Aurora was apparently throwing a large ball, and she wanted 'authentic fireworks' for it. She could get bigger and probably better fireworks from Jasmine or Charming, but she just had to have them from him. He'd said fine, she could have some. There you are. Enjoy. But Grimsby insisted he take them to her himself. Hence his voyage.
It was much faster to go by sea than land, besides, he'd wanted to go for a ride anyway. Of course, three days on the sea wasn't what he had in mind. He'd just returned from a month-long shrimp expedition. But he took what he could get.
Eric realized he'd been tracing shapes with his fingers on his leg. It was something he did idly and often. Usually, though, he did it when he was in meetings, and supposed to be taking notes. Little swirly and squiggly symbols simply seemed to flow from his fingers and create themselves.
They resembled nothing, and the first page full of doodles he'd done had actually creeped him out a bit. They seemed martian-like. Like some kind of alien writing. It resembled Chinese writing more than anything, but he knew his drawings meant nothing. For a long time, he'd looked up ancient writing, thinking maybe he'd taken a class when he was younger and simply didn't remember, but in every book and every tutor he asked, he got no answers. Now, when the doodles poured from his hand, he simply ignored them and trashed his paper. It was clear they meant nothing.
"Eric!" Grimsby called from below, "Come on inside, the captain says we should expect some rain. You mustn't ruin a good suit."
Eric traced more patterns in his ever-so hated suit. He would much rather wear something comfortable. He'd already stripped the gloves, the tassels, the slash, the shoes, and the jacket. And yet he still felt stiff and uncomfortable.
He completely ignored Grimsby and continued to trace shapes in his leg and relax on the boom. It was a gift to do so. With the rocking ship and nothing but the thin boom to keep you up, he had a good balance. Something Grimsby should take note of, but didn't. The man only noticed what was wrong with him. Grimsby could just forget it, he wasn't going down there.
"Eric," Grimsby warned, "If you don't show yourself, I'm delaying our stay at Aurora's."
Okay, he was coming down.
He took the fast way, sliding down the mast, until he grabbed onto the mizzen stay, and swung there a moment, right above the man, waiting for Grimsby to turn away. When he did, Eric dropped down with a 10 point worthy score, sticking his landing.
"Eric!" Grimsby gasped, turning back around, "Where did you come from?"
Eric shrugged, an easy answer, and Grimsby scolded him.
"I don't understand why you don't admire Aurora." he said, "The young lady is perfectly rounded and she has excellent class."
"Class?" Eric scoffed, "She's conceded. All she cares about is how she looks."
"She's a beautiful young lady, you know. She'll make a lovely bride."
Eric choked on nothing but his spit. "Not for me."
"Perhaps you just need to get to know her."
Eric knew Grimsby wouldn't give up on the topic, so he didn't fight him on it. He was too tired. The man was obsessed with the idea of him and Aurora and like always, he tried to make Eric see things his way. But that was one topic Eric wasn't budging on. There was no way on earth he was marrying Aurora. It just wasn't happening.
"What on earth happened to your suit?" Grimsby heaved, "You've single handedly ruined it. You looked perfectly presentable this morning."
"I've been stuck in the castle all day," Eric argued, "What was the point of being all dressed up?"
Grimsby looked ready to implode. But he'd asked a sensible question. He didn't know why it ticked the man off so much.
"Because," Grimsby ground out, "You, are a prince."
Eric rolled his eyes dramatically, making sure Grimsby took note of it, and walked around him.
"And you," Grimsby said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back, "Must learn to show that."
Proudly, he placed one of his many crowns atop his head. Eric glared at him, but Grimsby proudly walked off in another direction. Eric removed the crown and entered his room. He tossed the crown on the bed and fell back beside it.
He hated wearing crowns. Didn't wear them for that reason. But Grimsby insisted he did.
There was suddenly a knock on the round window above his bed. He didn't move, simply reaching up and opening it.
"Eric," Grimsby said through the window, "Get off of your head. You'll rub your hair out."
"I'm fine." Eric told him.
"No your not. When you have a bald spot before your twenty years old it'll look like your stressed. And princes don't get stressed."
"Maybe I am stressed," Eric said, sitting up and looking at the man, "It would explain a lot."
"Your not stressed." Grimsby said, "And when we return from this voyage, grab your staying bag. We've some work to do in the fields. And get your crown off of the-"
Eric slammed the window back and laid down. Grimsby knocked on it for a full ten minutes, but Eric held his ground until finally, the man realized it was pointless and moved on.
He hated going away from the ocean castle. It was his favorite one. It used to be his parents favorite too. Sure, he had plenty of castles. He was, after all, in charge of Pangrea's food supply. He had castles by the crop fields. Castles near his animal livestock. Castles near the rice fields. Castles nearer to his people. But he loved the ocean castle most.
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He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but he woke up with a start.
He was sweating, a lot, and his hair was sticking to his face. He'd dreamt about that night. Again. He tried to turn over, and forget it, but it was stuck in his mind. He reasoned that there was not much a 8 year old boy could do to save his parents, but that wasn't how he felt. If he could have held onto his mother a little longer. Delayed her from going up on that ship deck, he might have saved them both.
For a long time, he'd thought that idea over.
When he was younger, after that night, he'd been terrified of the ocean. He'd cried rivers and screamed every time Grimsby even mentioned getting on a ship. Or water. He'd been afraid to drink it. Afraid to touch it. It had made the maids job of giving a bath a living nightmare. He knew he fought them with everything he had.
It had gotten so bad that Grimsby insisted they take a short voyage around the kingdom, just to try to shake the fear from him. He'd screamed and fought both the guards that had to drag him onto the boat. Grimsby had put a life jacket on him and nearly forced the unwilling captain to sail off.
He'd been hyperventilating and near passing out when the captain took them back to sore, without Grimsby's permission, and carried him off the ship.
Eric was pretty sure that was the day he began hating the man.
Eric sat up, knowing he'd never get back to sleep. Max, who had been asleep on the floor, jumped up when Eric stood. Eric absently stroked Max's head as he left the room and made his way back to the deck. No one, but maybe the captain, would be up now, he was sure, but he didn't much want company at the moment anyway.
He found himself leaning against the decks railing, staring off into the blackness of the water. He supposed he'd gotten over his fear of the ocean. He wasn't afraid now, after all. And he loved to sail. But there was still something mysterious about it. Something foreboding and dark, and yet, something light too. Something waiting. Waiting for him.
It was just... there was something... something about the ocean that just... it just called to him. Eric couldn't explain it. Not when he'd been a boy. Not on any of his expeditions. And not now. But something about the ocean, it called to him. Beckoned him. Made him want to jump in it and just dive. Which was both crazy and stupid, because that simply asked for suicide.
Eric rubbed his temples. Maybe he was more stressed than he thought. He needed to calm down. To relax.
A strong wind blew and he smiled into it. What better way to relax. He leaned back on the railing, his head back. Max jumped up, his big paws pushing on him as he waited for something more exciting to happen, but Eric ignored him. He was busy talking to the wind.
He may not remember much from when he was younger, but two things he did remember clearly. Times with his parents. And Ariel. He supposed he'd never forget her. Her wild, carefree spirit. Her strikingly red hair and blue eyes. He'd been shy, reserved, when they'd met, and truly, he wasn't even sure why they'd met in the first place, but she had taught him to talk to the wind. Something that got him out of depression many times.
Grimsby insisted she didn't exist. That she was a figment of his imagination. But he remembered her and her huge father. Her father he only saw blurry visions of, sometimes fleetingly in a strange dream or the like, but he saw Ariel crystal clear. Grimsby never lied, and it made Eric wonder about the mystery surrounding her. Why did he insist she didn't exist?
Max barked at him, but he absently rubbed the dog's head and went back to what he was doing. He could talk to the wind for a little longer.
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- Chapter 2: Churning and Burning -
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Ariel
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The moment she was out of Atlantica, she felt the heaviness of her situation settle in. She was seriously running away. She had seriously ran away. Where would she go? Picking a direction, she swam towards her favorite spot: a sunken ship far out. No one knew about it, so it was the perfect place to gather her thoughts and make a plan. Her lack of a plan was unsettling, but knowing where she was swimming to, now made her feel a lot better.
It was strange swimming around at night. But somehow, she managed to find the sunken ship without difficulty. She slowed down her trek, and turned right. She forgot, her friend Flounder lived just around here. For a guppy, he sure did live in a creepy neighborhood. But no one, thankfully, was out at that time of night.
Knocking on his door, she waited what seemed like forever. No one came to the door. She reasoned it was late and he may have been asleep. In the morning she'd probably try again.
Going back to the ship, it seemed even more scary at night.
"Hi Tidal Wave." she greeted, reading the side of the ship.
It was battered and beaten, but it was her favorite place it be. She pulled a flashlight from her bag and swam up the stairs and into a little room. It was the most intact room, having a bed and dresser and even a closet full of clothes.
She sat on the bed and went through her bag, taking another mental inventory. She could make it. She had friends in other parts of the ocean. She might stay with Flounder for a while if his parents let her. She could move from city to city, like a hitchhiker. She was the princess of all four oceans, surely, someone would lend her a hospitable welcome.
Laying back on the bed, she listened to the silence. There was no Attina snoring. No Aquata talking in her sleep. No Arista laughing in hers. Alana and Adrina weren't arguing. Adella wasn't fixing her covers neater. It was just quiet. Silent. Weird.
She didn't think she'd ever get to bed, but suddenly, she found herself waking up. She'd woken up like she'd had a bad dream. Like something outside of her dream had shocked her. That's how it felt, like she'd been shocked. But Ariel saw the room was empty. It must have been a dream.
But then, dreams stopped when you woke up. Ariel still felt as if something were wrong. Not right. A little voice at the back of her head told her to go and investigate, and she obeyed the voice. Ariel swam out the room and out of the ship, leaving her bag behind just in case. A shadow passed over her head. Confused, she looked up, seeing even as far down as she was, a mysterious shadow on the surface.
She swam up towards it, curiosity winning over her sisters reminders of staying smart and safe. There was something... something important on that boat. Something about it. Ariel could feel it. It called to her. Beckoned her. Like a magnet did to a nail.
Breaking the surface, she held her chest, trying to adjust to the change in water pressure. It was dark at the surface, but lights like she had back in Atlantica shown brightly in the sky. They helped illuminate the area some. While Ariel had lost the shadow while swimming, she still felt that pull of magnetism. Something out there was still calling to her. Pulling her in its direction. She swam towards it.
She felt like she were somehow in a dream. Like she was sleep-swimming. This feeling pulling at her, it seemed too unreal.
There was a break in the skies lights ahead, and when she squinted, Ariel could see something black was blocking the view from her. Swimming closer, but cautiously, she realized she had somehow found a boat. No, more like a ship. Much like the one she hung out in, only, this one floated. And... that feeling, the one deep in her stomach, was getting even stronger, the closer she got to it.
She ducked down underwater, swimming towards the boat and came up again, next to it. The ship was huge, and so was the growing feeling in her stomach. She couldn't explain how she felt. It was weird, and yet, right. That's what it was, an unexplained rightness. She felt that way whenever she went to the surface, but the strength of this feeling was unmatched. And yet, incredible too.
She hadn't reached whatever was calling to her, but she knew she was close. So close. A few ropes swung down on the side of the ship, and after a bit of effort, she was able to grab a one and get herself onto a small shelf that stuck out.
This was stupid, she knew. All of her sisters would pass out if they could see what she was doing. Her father would kill her and everyone on the boat, she was sure, but she'd never felt so right in her life. She'd never felt so... good. It was like she was in the perfect place at the perfect time. And while she was slightly remembering some of the tall-tales she'd been told about humans, like their ability to hypnotize mermaids and beckon them to the surface where they'd be snagged and eaten, she couldn't help but stay. Despite the fact that she did feel hypnotized.
It was the dumbest feeling in the world.
She'd had a fascination with humans for as long as she could remember. She didn't know why, especially since her mother had fallen victim to them. It was just, as a child, they mesmerized her. And like a dream, she felt as if she even knew them. Like she had somehow met them before. Or at least one of them.
It was so long ago that she hardly remembered the feeling, but the way her father was, she was sure that wasn't the case. He hated humans so much that she knew she never met one and he never allowed her to.
Ariel put a hand to her chest and took a deep breath. She felt so tense. So high-strung. Like she was waiting for something. Something important. She felt like she was just on the edge of something huge, and that feeling that she felt, it was about to push her over the edge.
Through a gap in the boat, she was able to look onto the ships surface. But she was met with emptiness. No one and nothing was anywhere around. She looked around, hoping to catch sight of at least one human. She had seen them on the shore from a distance before, but they disappeared long before she ever reached land. They wore odd things on their feet and long pieces of clothing. It must have been these decorations that hid the woman's shells. Because she could never find any.
Ariel felt an unmatched sense of sadness. She'd felt- was feeling- that strong tug of something. She'd been sure it was whatever it was on this ship. She'd been positive.
Then something...someone...caught her eyes. He'd moved and it had caught her eyes, for he was still otherwise. It was a man. A boy seemingly around her age with shoulder length black hair that swayed in the wind as he leaned against the railing of the boat. His head was back, almost like he was listening to something, and he was smiling. Ariel could even see the dimples in his cheeks. He was clearly built, strong and masculine, but not weirdly huge, like Gill was.
There, sitting on a ledge and staring at this boy, time stopped completely. The ocean froze. The waves ceased. The wind fell away to nothing. Everything went deaf and her vision sharpened on his face. It seemed like all her problems had somehow seemed to vaporize. For a moment, all that mattered was knowing the boy's name. All she wanted was to know him. Maybe love him. Kind of like him. A stupid fantasy of them being in love made her blithely happy. She saw herself in his arms. Saw them walking around on the beach together. Imagined him telling her he loved her.
This had to be what love at first sight felt like.
A hairy, slobbery creature, made a loud noise, jumping up beside the man. The creature startled Ariel, but the boy was so calm he hardly noticed. Absently rubbing the creature's head.
Ariel's attention was glued to the boy. Bright eyes. Flippy hair. Creature friend. Whatever his name was, she wanted to know it. Wanted to say it. Say it everyday.
But she knew she had to shake this feeling. She couldn't fall in love with him. A) she didn't even know him. And maybe even more importantly, b) he was a human. Two legs and all. But she couldn't stop looking at him. Couldn't stop imagining a life where she could be with him.
And to make matters even worse, he was gorgeous. She couldn't take her eyes off of his face. Alive and full of... handsome. He looked out over the ocean and she saw his blue eyes sparkled just as bright as a eels electricity. He was beautiful.
A breeze picked up, pushing Ariel's hair around, and the boys too.
She did what he did when she went to the surface often. Just closed her eyes and listened to the wind. Tried to quickly put her feelings into their proper places. The boy, he looked like he might be trying to sort thing out too. Like somehow, he knew how to listen to the wind like she could. She was pretty sure that was a weird thing to do, though. She doubted he'd do anything like that. He was too handsome to be weird.
Suddenly, it was like an explosion went off inside of Ariel. A big one, too. She'd been so preoccupied with possibly-maybe-just-a-little-bit falling in love, that she'd totally forgotten about that very dominant feeling that she could still feel burning in her stomach. It was as strong as ever, and even in her confused state, she knew it was him. It had to be. Something about him... it called to her. It begged her to get closer. It was like her body was hypnotized. Like her very blood needed him to survive.
The boy turned and she gasped, ducking down and out of sight. Peeking up through the gap again, she noticed that while he'd seemed so calm and peaceful before, now, he almost looked disturbed. Anxious. Nearly painfully waiting for something. He looked... like she had felt. Could it be that he was feeling this crazy attraction too?
Ariel let out a light groan and turned her back to the boy, leaning against the side of the ship. She wanted to die. She felt like she could just die. She'd never felt anything like she did when she looked at him. Time had never stopped for her before. She never wanted anything more than wanting to be able to talk to him. Wanting to know him. Wanting to know whether or not he was single.
And now, with this weird physical attraction. She felt like she'd die of feeling too much at once. She was physically craving to be near him, while her mind and heart was longing for him to feel the same way about her. It was strange, but at least her body was in harmony. Perfect harmony actually. She'd never known a body could be in such unity. So in sync.
She heard his feet walking across the ship and when she looked up, she saw him lean against the railing just above her. He was right there. Just barely out of reach. Everything in her, the feeling in her stomach and her heart, urged her to reach up and just touch him. Just, maybe, poke his arm. Anything.
He leaned far out over the railing, just balancing on him stomach. He leaned so far that it seemed at any moment, he could topple over and fall down into the water. His eyes were squinted, like he was looking for something. Like he needed to find something.
Ariel could relate, only, she'd already found what she was looking for. Who, rather. This poor boy, he was still searching. Searching... for her. She smiled. For some reason, that thought made her feel extremely warm inside.
Suddenly, a bolt of light hit the water, only feet away from her. The water exploded up in a mountain of water. The air heated up with a loud crackle and Ariel's eyes went wide.
What was that?!
There was a startled cry and Ariel looked back through the gap to see the boy had fallen, luckily back onto the ship. He gathered himself up from the ground but was knocked over by the furry thing that seemed to be freaking out.
The loud light happened again, and the boat rocked hard, throwing her from her perch and into the water. The water itself burnt her very skin. She hadn't noticed, but the waves had picked up in size and anger, and she was swiftly pushed away from the boat. She looked around, and hopped in and out of the water back towards the ship.
Quickly, she climbed back up to her perch and looked for the black haired boy. Another bold bolt of light lit the area, this time, catching a sail on the ship. Even louder than this, though, was the sound of the humans. They had appeared out of nowhere most of them in similar outfits, and ran around screaming and yelling at each other. Ariel searched for the boy. He had to be somewhere.
The humans lowered smaller boats into the water, crowds of people crowding them. Ariel jumped back into the water, searching for the boy. She ducked under water and came up closer to where the smaller boats were. She made sure to stay out of sight, someone might have seen her and tried to help her onto one of the boats.
Finding the boy wasn't on any of the boats, Ariel looked back up to the ship. Immediately, she spotted him. She waited, the boy was about to get into a boat, it was already lowering slowly. He was almost there, one of his feet were in, but he stopped and turned around.
"Eric!" an old man on one of the boats shouted
Eric. That was his name. Eric. Ariel sighed. What a handsome name. She shook her head from his handsome name. He was missing his boat, it was gently dropping into the water now. She watched as Eric disappeared back onto the ship.
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Eric
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Too much was happening at once. Much too much. At one point, he was enjoying the wind. Nothing to bother him. Completely calm. And then, he'd gotten such a funny feeling in his stomach. It was stronger than a tickle, but didn't hurt like a cramp. Dare he say it felt good, but more-so, right. But he was used to such feelings. He got them often when he went out sailing. He'd always felt a little funny in the ocean, but somehow, this had felt different. Stronger, perhaps.
But the feeling, it had gotten stronger, which was strange. Strangest thing he ever felt, really. It had started out normal, a light pressure, but within moments, it had suddenly been overwhelming. He'd nearly doubled over, from the sheer feel of it. And yet, it didn't hurt. Simply sat, churning and burning in his stomach, like it were upset with him or something.
He'd made a move to go back to his cabin, but the feeling had decreased when he turned a certain way. He'd turned back towards the other end of the deck, experimentally, and the feeling had grown. He'd completely given up any hope of trying to figure out what was wrong with him then, and instead, walked to the side of the ship that seemed to effect him the most.
It had been like a punch to his face. His entire body seemed to suddenly be engulfed by some unknown force. He'd clutched the railing, waiting to see whether the wave of feeling passed, but it didn't. It didn't decrease nor increase. Just sat there in his stomach. It was strange.
And even stranger, he'd actually liked the feeling. It made him feel warm. Like for once in his life, he'd actually made a good decision on his own. He'd actually done something right.
It was the ocean, he'd believed. Something about it. Something about it made him feel so right. That had to be it. What else could it be? The ocean looked choppy, black, and foreboding, but Eric didn't care. It beckoned to him. It called to him. It wanted him. And he needed it. And had blindly been just on the verge of jumping into it, when lightning had struck.
And that brought him back to the now present, where people were running around and jumping on life boats.
He was used to chaos, but even this was too much for him. The feeling in the pit of his stomach was gone and now, he was just left with confusion and numbness.
Several sailors grabbed his arm, shoving him forwards towards a life boat. He followed obediently, numbly. He kept his eyes focused out onto the water, waiting. Waiting. Waiting for that feeling to return. But also, it gave him something to focus on. He was good at having a divided attention, and he knew his ship was catching fire. But he didn't want to see the ship burn. Didn't want to see anything, but the water.
He was sure that if he saw the burning ship, he'd begin having flashbacks. He would see his mother, her foot stuck while his father tried to free her. And he didn't want to see that because maybe, it was all his fault to begin with. Maybe, if they hadn't been busy screaming at him, they might have had time to get out of the way. Maybe, if he'd of listened to his mother, she might have had time to free herself.
Eric stepped into the life boat, eyes ahead. He wanted to turn and help his crew. Help the men who put him first. But he was afraid of a breakdown. Would he freeze if he saw a similar scene to the one he remembered all those years ago? Would he pass out? Hyperventilate?
There was a bark. A loud bark. A frightened bark.
Breakdown aside, he turned and saw Max, panicking on the upper deck. Looking for him.
Eric was back on the ship. His feet were moving faster than his brain. If he had sense, he would have stopped for a moment and thought this through. That was how he was taught. It was how he was trained. But his feet ignored that. Max, his dog was in trouble.
What would happen if he lost Max? How would he feel?
He'd lose everything that was left of his parents. He would lose one of his best friends. It was dumb, but he held on to the thought his father gave him. As long as he had Max, he had them too. He'd mentioned that to Grimsby once, and the man had laughed in his face. It was a dumb idea, but he held on to it anyway.
"Max!" he called, looking up to the terrified dog, "Come on, Max! Jump! You can do it, Max!"
Max clearly weighed his options and without warning, jumped the small distance. Eric hadn't carried Max since he was a small puppy, and Eric buckled backwards under the weight. But he managed to stay on his feet and hurry them both towards safety.
He was nearly there. Just a step away from the edge. They could jump off and swim the rest of the way. They were there.
But the floor beneath him gave way and his foot fell through. He tossed Max from momentum and the dog sailed over the railing and into the water.
Eric's heart was racing, pangs of pain shooting up through his ankle.
"No," he said aloud, looking down at his trapped foot, "No, no, no, no, no."
This was not happening. It was not happening. The flashbacks were starting. His mother stuck. The ship on fire. But he shook the thought from his head and tried to pull his foot from he floor. More pain shot through his leg, but adrenaline was letting him ignore it, and he pulled on his leg harder.
There was a snap, the mass having finally snapped under the fire. The burning piece of wood fell just feet in front of Eric and Eric fell back, twisting his stuck foot at a painful angle, adding to his agony. He was stunned for a moment, unable to breathe or move. He looked at the fallen mast and half expected a younger version of himself to fall down some set of stairs.
But he managed to snap himself from this too and winced, trying to free his foot. There was a popping noise, and Eric followed the sound with his eyes. The mast had fallen into the lower storage area and Eric groaned.
He could see Aurora's fireworks.
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Ariel
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A loud splash was heard right next to Ariel. She gasped, ducking her head under water. Looking up through the rough currents, she saw four furry legs, swimming furiously.
Coming back up, with gasps and spits, she saw a young man in one of the uniforms, calling the creature.
"Max! Come 'ere boy. Come here, Max!" he called.
Max, the creature, gladly swam his way. Once he was safely on the small boat, despite the old man who had first called Eric, objections, a man began rowing away from the ship.
Ariel prayed. Hoped. Wished with all her heart that Eric would just jump off and get to safety. He risked his life for a furry animal, surely that meant he was a good person, right? He didn't deserve to die. Oh, if she had legs she would climb up the side of that boat and save him.
Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded and Ariel jumped back a little. She didn't see anything. Another loud explosion sounded, but this time it was louder and she could see the ship as it blew out into a million pieces.
She swam back and out of the way of falling wood, some still lit on fire. She screamed, not sure if it was Eric's name or another random word. Yet, she could barely be heard over the boat of now screaming men, crashing waves, and that loud light that was still striking and lighting the night sky. She cried, not caring if anyone saw her or if anyone thought she looked undignified.
Once the boat stopped blowing up, Ariel swam to the little remains of it. The area was lit by the burning wood, but she knew it wouldn't last long. She lifted herself onto a floating piece of wood, and sat on the edge. It supported her weight well. Maybe, Eric had found a good piece of wood.
Or, her inner voice said, maybe, he died like a normal person would think.
Shaking her head, she allowed tears to flow freely, even allowing a small hiccup. She never got to know him, but she had her heart set on getting to. Somehow. And now, she'd never get the chance. He was dead and she had to except it. She jumped, though, nearly sending herself back in the water when she heard a splash. She slowly put her weight on her arms, gently lowering herself back in the water. She doubted any dolphins were playing in this storm. She sunk down, so that only her eyes could be seen. She couldn't risk someone seeing her.
"Hello?" she asked, gently. If it were someone who needed help, she would help them. Tail or no tail.
"Is anyone here?" she asked again.
She was beginning to lose hope for this person when she heard another splash. She swam quietly, trying not to scare anyone or miss any other sounds.
Then... she saw him. Soaked and barely conscious, holding on with all his might to an empty barrel that sunk quite a bit under his weight.
Eric.
She suppressed her overjoyed feelings as she saw him sink under the water. Diving down after him, her previous smile disappeared as she struggled to get him back to the surface.
Human Facts 101: They cannot breathe underwater.
She broke the surface, barely able to breathe, but was able to get his head to tilt back on her shoulder. He'll be okay. He'll live. She told herself. He had to. For her own sanity. If he died...it would be...selfish. He needed to stay for her. For the yelling and crying people on the smaller boats. For the churning feeling in her stomach that confirmed, it was him that did this to her. For the whole freakin' world.
She backstroked with one arm through the rugged waves, holding tight to him with her other arm. The water beat her from all angles, sending her underwater numerous times. She struggled, trying to stay above it. He needed to breathe, she needed to stay above the water. Her throat kept clenching up and her body ached from her going in and out of the water. She couldn't switch modes that fast. Underwater. Out of water. Underwater. Out of water. It was hurting her body more than ever before.
Fortunately, though, as she got away from the ship remains, she also got away from the storm. The water calmed a bit and the air had less of a deadly charge. Switching arms, she backstroked with her other arm. He'll be okay.
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The sun was rising, its painful glare blinding her eyes. She was tireder than an old sea mollusk. Her arms were so numb she had to check to make sure she still had them. Her tail ached and all she really wanted to do was sleep. She was sure, though, that Eric was breathing. His chest rose and fell gracefully, totally unaware that he was being dragged through the ocean by a mermaid. She hoped he stayed unaware.
After all night of swimming, she finally spotted a bit of orange...or more importantly, land! With renewed energy, she wrapped both her arms around Eric's chest and swam as fast as she could. She was almost there. She could make it. She could.
She approached the sand exhausted. But Eric was alive. He was. She'd done it. She'd saved a small beauty in the world.
It took all of her remaining strength to heave Eric up onto land. He was so much heavier out of the water. But then, so was she.
Eric suddenly coughed, startling her, and she rolled away from him a bit. Moving back towards him when it ended, she leaned on his chest, watching as he tried to find his breath.
"Eric?" she whispered, her eyes widening as he cracked open his eyes.
He smiled faintly, his eyes fluttering, his head lolling, and she knew instantly, he was still way out of it. She hummed a tune to him. She hadn't heard it anywhere. It was simply something she had just made up. She always did that kind of stuff. She loved music. She made up a few words to it, but stopped when she heard a sound. A loud sound she recognized as the furry creature, Max.
She looked back to Eric, knowing he probably wouldn't remember her later. And just like that, he was out again. His eyes closed, but a peaceful look on his face.
Making her way back to the water, she dove down deep. She saw the old man who had yelled Eric's name earlier approach Eric with Max. Max was making a loud noise, but stopped suddenly, and seemed to look right at her.
Max ran into the water and Ariel dove.
Ariel swan back some, staying just long enough to see the older man help Eric up and away.
Eric. He'd just left, and she didn't know him, but already, she felt as if she missed him. It was strange. She was missing a stranger. Missing someone she didn't know. Yet still, he plagued her mind. It was ridiculous.
She could never be with him. For all she knew, he might even be married. He might have already been taken. Going and returning to his own love. The thought made her feel miserable. But then, maybe he wasn't married. Maybe he was looking for love like she was. Maybe she was his perfect match!
One thing was for sure though, she could never find out. He was up there, she was down there. She could never show herself to him like she was.
Unless... she somehow went up there. But how? It was impossible. If she could simply will herself to turn into a human, she definitely would. But she couldn't. It was impossible, as she already knew.
Ursula. The name suddenly came to mind. Her evil aunt. She did things like that all the time. They were family, right? Wouldn't that be encouragement? Of course, Ursula hated her father and vise-versa. But Ariel was no part of that hate relationship. She was just an innocent girl who had fallen in love with someone outside of her species.
She sounded absolutely crazy. But she'd always thought it. Love was a drug. A wonderful, amazing drug. And drugs did make you crazy.
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Chapter 3: The City of Love
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Ariel
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Ariel swam back to the ship, gathered her things and made her way to where Ursula was rumored to live. It actually wasn't a long ways away.
She said it wasn't a long ways away, but it was getting dark by the time she reached the area. A horrible, glowing, monster skeleton waited in front of her. Ariel knew, she could turn around right there. She could swim away and continue her hitch-hikers plan. She could even go back home, and marry Gill.
But she saw Eric's face in her mind. He was the one for her, she knew it. She had to at least try to be with him. She had to try.
Gulping heavily, she approached what she figured was the entrance. There was no door, no doorbell, but what worked better than security than curb appeal? Ariel was sure no one approached this place without permission. It was much too creepy.
"Come in, come in." came a old, scratchy voice. "We mustn't lurk in doorways. Its rude."
Ariel tried to look confident as she entered. She refused to look anywhere but straight ahead. Her aunt Ursula probably wasn't as bad as everyone said. She was just... misunderstood. Yeah, that was it.
Ariel was beginning to get that feeling in the pit of her stomach. The one that had pulled her to the surface the night before. It reminded her of Eric, and it only gave Ariel confidence. She need to at least try to be with Eric. She had to try.
Reaching the inner room, Ariel was met with not an evil looking lair, but what looked like a hospital. Medicine bottles, empty syringes, doctor tools, littered the floor. A phlegm filled cough filled the room and Ariel whipped around to the cougher.
Ursula got out of her bed, which actually looked more like a cot.
"Ursula?" Ariel asked.
The octo-woman looked worse for wear. She was so pale she was gray. She had large bags under her eyes and she looked far passed tired. She actually looked rather sick.
"What do you want, Angel Fish?" she asked, her body racking of a coughing fit.
"I came for your help," Ariel said, fighting the urge to pat the woman's back, "I have a request."
"Of course you do." Ursula said, going to a dusty vanity and getting out an inhaler, "Everyone's got a request. Unfortunately for you, I don't do that anymore. Too tired."
She didn't do that anymore? That couldn't be.
"But," Ariel protested, "I need your help. We're family, you know. Please."
"Don't beg," Ursula said, "Its unbecoming. Besides, what has family ever done for me? I'm dying alone and you want to talk to me about family?"
"I'm sorry," Ariel said, "I had no idea. But, now that I know I can-"
"Help?" Ursula laughed, "Unless you can loan me 600 dollars for my operation, get out."
Money. Hmm.
"I've got money," Ariel said, taking her bag off of her shoulders, "A lot, too. It may not be everything you need, but definitely more than half."
Ursula looked in Ariel's bag, seeing the many purses. She scratched her chin.
"What do you want?" she asked, and Ariel gave a mental whoop.
"I want to be human." Ariel told her. "I-"
"Oh shut up," Ursula cut her off, "I already know. I know everything. Even about your lover boy."
She knew... about Eric? How- oh it didn't even matter. As long as she could help.
"But like I said," Ursula said, "I'm tired. My powers are wearing off. I can't just turn you into a human. There are certain things you have to do, too."
"I'll do anything." Ariel said, folding her hands, "Anything."
"For one thing," Ursula said, "it will take time. Though the transformation will be swift, the actual deed of you getting to your prince will be long."
Did she say prince? And what exactly did she mean?
"I mean," Ursula said, "You'll have to take a journey to get your hearts greatest desire and blah blah blah. It's just part of the deal."
"What kind of journey?" Ariel asked. Things were getting complicated.
"Example." Ursula said, "I accidentally turned a little wooden puppet into a living little wooden puppet once. The puppet wanted to be a real boy. I said no, I couldn't do that. We made a deal. Little puppet went on a journey. Learned a lot about himself. Helped a lot of people. Poof. He was a real boy."
… interesting...?
"Your journey will be predestined. All you have to do is follow the path. It will lead you to your prince and poof. Happily ever after."
"How long did his journey take?"
"About a week, but results may vary." she laughed at her slogan, coughing hard in the middle of it.
"So what?" she asked, "Do we have a deal or what? I'm not getting any better, here."
Eric or safety. She could always go home. She could always go and say no. But what about Eric? Something deep within her was saying she really did love him. She'd felt those fireworks in her heart. Time had stopped for her. He was the one. She was sure.
"Deal." Ariel said, handing over her bag.
Ursula took the bag and went into a back room. There was the sound of breaking glass, Ursula talking, a loud explosion and Ursula returned.
"Here ya go, sweet cheeks." she said, handing Ariel a glass bottle. "Drink this up and poof, journey begins. Follow the dots, jump the green portal. And just because I'm your aunt, I'll even take away that annoying stomach ache you have."
Stomach ache? No, this was no stomach ache. But fine, as long as she could get to Eric.
"Thank you!" Ariel said, grabbing the bottle, "Thank you, thank you!"
"Right." Ursula said, "Now a word of advice, put on some clothes after you drink it and get to the surface."
Ariel smiled. Clothes. The surface. Got it. She was going to be human.
"Now get out of here." Ursula spat. "Before I figure out a way to kill you and make it look like an accident."
Ursula's tone was completely serious and Ariel swam for it. No matter, she got what she'd come for. Ursula could get whatever medicine she needed. And all would end well.
"One more thing!" Ursula called after Ariel. "Until you finish your journey, you must keep your identity a secret. No one must know about this!"
That was weird, but Ariel nodded. Secret identity. She could do that. She was going to meet Eric, after all. As long as she knew that would happen, she could do anything. After, of course, her journey ended. And now she knew Eric was a prince. A prince. She knew she'd find her prince some day. She just didn't know things would be so literal.
Ariel swam back to the sunken ship. Nothing there was hers, but she remembered seeing clothes in the closet. Some were for girls. She'd seen girls on land with things she saw in the closet.
After a while, Ariel's adrenaline wore off. She became extremely tired. She hadn't eaten all day and she hadn't slept nearly a wink since she'd run away from home. Once she reached the Tidal Wave, she went to the main bedroom and took a nap on the bed.
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When she woke up, seemingly hours later, she made sure first she still had the bottle. It was still in her hands, filled with a glowing green liquid. It looked nasty and probably deadly, but she was willing to take a chance for Eric. A chance for true love.
Ariel put down the bottle and opened the closet. She pulled out the articles, looking them over, but they were all battered and tattered. Nothing looked whole or right. The colors were faded and seams were coming undone. She couldn't be seen in any of that stuff.
Swimming around the room, she approached a tall armoire. She had never opened, fearing some dead body was stuffed inside. But looking at it, Alana had one just like it in her private closet. Maybe there were clothes in here too.
With shaky hands, Ariel opened the doors. A large, dirty, air bubble flew out, floating up and out of the ship. The armoire filled with water and Ariel smiled, seeing clothes in much better shape. A blue one caught her eyes in particular. It had a black corset around the waist and puffy sleeves. It would work nicely.
Grabbing it, she found the same things that were on the other humans feet right below the dress. She wanted to fit in, so she grabbed them too. Then she grabbed the glass bottle and swam up to the surface.
She was seriously about to do this!
She swam close to the shore. Ursula said, that once she drank the liquid, her journey would begin. And Ursula had said something about green portals and transportation. For a second, a thought crossed Ariel's mind. What if Ursula had a mental sickness? What if she was crazy? Green portals? Living puppets? It was definitely... out there.
But Eric flashed in her mind. And without thinking too much about it, Ariel took the cap off of the bottle and drunk the liquid in one gulp.
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She didn't remember passing out or closing her eyes. Just darkness that had followed finishing the last drop of liquid.
But now, it was night time. The full moon was out and only it provided light for her. It must have been low tide, because she was in a little pool of water, apart from the ocean. Her hair was dry. She must have been out for a long time.
She scratched an itch on her leg and...
She couldn't help it. She screamed. But happily. She had a leg! A leg! Quickly, she checked for the other one and yes! It was there too. She had legs! She was a human!
She laughed. This was amazing. She was human. She was human, and so was Eric. They were both human. Both the same species. If he wanted, he could marry her. She could marry him. They could be in love. Because she was a human!
She found she still held the bottle. She held the bottle up to the moon's light. The bottle was completely empty. Oh, she loved that bottle. Loved it so much. Her dress was floating in the pool right next to her, the feet covers right beside it.
She had seen how the dress looked on the girls on the boat, but she figured she couldn't get it on like she got on her seashells. The concept, though, seemed simple. A hole for the head, and one for each arm. Simple, right?
Not so much. She struggled with it for what seemed like forever. But she finally pulled it over her head and got her arms in it. She hoped it was on correctly. But something didn't fit right. Her seashells were biting into her skin painfully. It hurt, a lot.
Ariel pulled her arms into the holes and undid her shells, pulling it off. She dropped it in the pool beside her and put her arms back through her dress. She felt so much better. So much better. Even if she felt a little weird without shells. Getting the feet covers on were a lot easier. They simply slid right on. They were black and flat and actually very comfortable.
The moon had moved from high in the sky to about 3/4ths of the way. It was still dark. Ariel decided now was a good as ever. While no one could see her, she mine as well.
Putting her hands in the water, she attempted to stand. As odd as it was, it wasn't as hard as she thought it was going to be. It was almost as if she had done it before.
Walking, though, was a different story. The moment she lifted one foot, her other one wobbled and she fell out of the pool and into the sand.
Looking up through her messy bangs, she noticed a green glowing spot in the sand. It was right in front of her, about the size of a plate. Very hard to miss. It was the same color as the liquid she'd drank. Looking up, she realized another one was just a few feet away. And another one followed it. In fact, there was a whole trail of them.
Maybe, that was her journey. Ursula had said something about following a path. That looked like a path to Ariel.
She tried to walk again, standing up. This time, she lifted her foot slowly made sure she was balanced before she moved the other foot. She fell again, but she'd gotten further this time. She tried again, this time, making it a step before she fell backwards.
A good while passed before Ariel was able to make it further than a step. She walked back and forth, from the pool to the green spots in the sand. She did a little jump, testing her strength. She felt comfortable now. She could walk.
The thought made her laugh. She was walking. Walking like Eric did.
The sky was getting brighter by the minute. Now being a lighter blue. Her path still glowed, so she figured she ought to simply follow it. The sooner she did, the faster she got to Eric.
She didn't seem to have walked far before a bigger glowing dot sat in front of her. This one was about the size of a giant clam. Maybe, this was her transportation. Assuming Ursula wasn't loco, of course. But she'd been right about everything so far. Ariel was still alive. She mine as well give it a try, right?
Sitting on the ground, Ariel poked the dot with her hand. The other dots were simply lights. She could feel the sand through them. This one, though, was different. When she touched it, her hand went down into it. It seemed to disappear in it. She pulled her hand out, inspecting it. It seemed alright.
Slowly, she slid herself into portal. She slipped, though, at one point and fell in.
She screamed falling down into light. The world around her nothing but a bright neon green. She flipped and twisted until she saw a black hole right below her. She was falling towards it, faster and faster.
And then, she fell through.
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Eric
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Eric got off the jet and grabbed his bag. He was fairly happy, haven taken a long nap on the ride. It was rare that he got any real, peaceful sleep.
"Eric!" came a voice, and Eric watched as a brunette boy jumped out of a big carriage.
He met Eric halfway and grabbed his bag for him.
"I'm sweating." was the first thing he said. "It's freezing out here, and I'm sweating."
"I'm... sorry?" Eric offered, unsure of a proper response.
"Did you bring chef Lois?" he asked, radiating pent up energy. "Please tell me you brought him. If you forgot him everything is ruined!"
"Relax, Charming." Eric waved off, "Yes, chef Lois came with me. And he brought every pan and pot he's ever owned."
Charming's breathed a sigh of relief, and nearly smiled.
Charming's name, actually wasn't Charming. It was Christopher. But in all his life, Eric didn't remember calling Charming anything other than Charming. He didn't know where the nickname came from, or who gave it to him, but for some reason, it stuck.
Charming was fanning his armpits, something that would make Grimsby pass out, but Eric could almost understand Charming's pent up energy and stressed behavior. Each province had their own way of doing things, and king Adrian liked having fun. He'd set up a ball for Charming, the main goal: finding him a wife. And Charming was freaking out.
"You'll be fine." Eric said, clapping him on the back and climbing into the carriage.
Charming sat across from him, and ran his hands through his hair.
"I've never been this nervous before." he confessed. "I look like I've run through a sprinkler."
He did look a little shiny.
The carriage began to move and Eric shifted in his seat. He sat back, and twisted his ankles in circles,experimentally. His ankle hurt, but not unbearably.
"Sorry I couldn't make it down there, yesterday." Charming said, dismally.
Eric shrugged it off, "Nothing special happened. My ship blew up. No big deal. I mean, it was named Lyon. I should have expected that."
"Really, though," Charming said, sitting up, "I really did try, but dads got my hands tied. And we planned to have it next week, but he's moved the dates up and some invitations got lost and it's just so much going on right now."
"Seriously," Eric told him, "It's fine. A few bruises and cuts, that all. No fatalities. And besides, I should be thanking you. You got me away from Grimsby for a while."
"He chewing you out?"
"Like never before. Apparently, I'm an idiot."
"I've been telling you that for years."
Eric rolled his eyes. But he was serious. He owed Charming big time. He got out of his time with Aurora. He got out of his 'quality time' with Grimsby. That sounded pretty perfect to him.
But Charming was still looking at him hard. Eric looked out the window, avoiding his hard gaze.
"And your sure your alright?" he asked.
The way he said it wasn't lightly. He said it deeply, hidden meanings laced all through his words. He wasn't talking about physically anymore, it was clear he'd survive. He meant more emotionally. More along the lines of the fact that he had basically relived his parents death.
Of everyone he knew, Charming knew him the best.
Eric shrugged in answer, and continued looking out the window. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't effected. Who wouldn't be?
But that was the normal part. Their was so much un-normal that had happen both prior and post to his ship catching fire. There was that odd feeling he'd had. His brain being scrambled, which had to explain why he'd been willing to jump from his ship, and the little part about the girl that had saved him. Grimsby could tell him he was crazy all he wanted, but Eric was sure of what he saw. He was sure. A girl, with hair like fire. Eyes like jewels. She'd saved him. Sung to him. Yes, he knew he sounded crazy. And yes, he had been near dead and probably a little delirious. But he was certain he'd seen her. Certain.
His mission, when he got back home, was to find that girl. And properly thank her. She'd run off he moment Grimsby had showed up. Eric felt like that sometimes, too, but the girl didn't even know him. Why would she run off? Any normal girl would stick around. Wait for a reward and the likes.
This girl was a mystery.
"What girl?" Charming asked, sitting forwards like Eric was about to tell him a story.
"Was I talking out loud?"
"Yes. Now who is she?"
"No one." Eric settled on, though he knew Charming would get the story out of him later.
They arrived at the palace quickly, and Eric grabbed his bag. He looked around himself, remembering how things were the same and how things were different from the last time he'd been there. Not much had changed in the few weeks he'd been gone.
"Okay," Charming said as they walking inside, "So we've got chef Lois. Check. And we've got decorations. Check. And the room is all set up. Check. Invitations are being taken care of. Check."
Eric sighed, handing his bag to one of the maids. Charming could be very uptight. He worried about every little thing. And was an extreme perfectionist. Eric figure he'd be like this too though. This was, after all, the ball that he'd find his future wife at. He knew Charming could use some support.
"Your majesties," a maid said, approaching, she dropped down into a curtsy.
"It's the souffle, isn't it?" Charming said, exasperated, running his hands over his face, "Somethings gone wrong with it, hasn't it? Why the souffle? Why couldn't it be the danish's? Everything's ruined. I'm telling dad to cancel."
"Relax." Eric told him, "What is it?" he asked the maid gently.
"Chef Lois requests your presence." she said, and Charming gave Eric a look.
"Could be the danish's." Eric shrugged, and they both made their way down to the kitchen.
"Ah, boys!" chef Lois greeted.
He didn't look distraught.
"I forgot my Vieux Boulogne back at home. But this is France, no? We simply get more."
Chef Lois laughed and Eric figure he felt right at home.
"This, voo- boo- whatever stuff. Is it ball-canceling?" Charming asked.
"Only if I cant get more," chef Lois replied.
"Well what is it?" Eric asked, "Charming and I will go and get it."
Chef Lois looked appalled, "Je ne peux pas croire que cela!"
He exclaimed, and Eric quickly calculated 'I cant believe this' in french.
"My Vieux Boulogne is a cheese." he explained, calming down, "A perfectly aged cheese. How do you not know of it, Eric, I use it almost in every meal!"
Eric shrugged. He wasn't much of a cook.
"We can get it from the market," Charming said, "I know a place that sells a lot of fresh cheese."
"Perfect!" chef Lois responded, kissing his fingers and making a smacking sound, "Hop to it then, boys."
Eric and Charming made their way back to the foyer, Charming moving at a swift pace.
"The ball isn't tonight, you know." Eric mentioned.
"I know." Charming said. "But its soon. I mean, what if the room just gets filled with girls who want money? What if all they want is the crown?"
"Well," Eric offered, "What if it is. But what if out of all them, there's this one girl who isn't like that?"
"What if my father doesn't like her?"
"What if your father loves her?"
"What-"
"Charming," Eric interrupted, "We can do this all day, going back and forth. But it's not going to calm you down. You don't want the girls to see you a nervous wreck, right?"
"I know," he said, "It's just... Je suis terrifié ici!"
'I'm terrified, here," was the quick translation Eric calculated. It was never good when Charming switched back to his french language.
"Don't be terrified." Eric reassured him, "Your problem is that your looking at this in the wrong light. Your thinking about how your father will feel. Your thinking about the skills she'll need. And how her family will react."
"Not to mention whether or not she can run a kingdom," Charming added, "A queen can make or break this land."
"See, that's what I mean. Your doing this for all the wrong reasons. Your forgetting that your father isn't getting married. Your forgetting that the kingdom isn't getting married. You are. You need to ignore everything you think you need from her, and focus more on how you feel about her."
They exited the kingdom, and Eric watched as emotion after emotion crossed in front of Charming's face. Eric just kept silent, letting it all sink it.
"You know," Charming spoke up, "Your right. I don't need to find the perfect girl for the job. I need to find the perfect girl, for me."
"Exactly."
"And besides," he continued, "Whatever is best for me, is best for my kingdom. I just need to find her first. And when I do, shes gonna love me, right?"
"Of course." Eric reassured him, "I mean, look at you. You've got a great personality. Your not bad looking. And it doesn't hurt that you're a prince."
"I am a good person." Charming agreed, "I've got my faults, but the right girl will ignore them, right?"
"Right." Eric agreed, following Charming down the path.
"You know," Charming said, "It actually is a good thing, having a hopeless romantic as a best friend."
"I'm not hopeless," Eric retorted.
Eric knew Charming was hardly ever wound up. He didn't usually lack that much confidence. But again, Eric understood him. There was a lot resting on that one night. Eric was simply there to relieve some of that tension.
What kind of best friend would he be if he didn't?
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A/N: Bada Boom. Done. I uploaded a lot in this chapter because I really wanted to get the story rolling... and also introduce Charming. Ha ha.
A lot of introductions have passed and what not. Next week, probably, I'll upload the next part. Just because I'm so nice. I think this long chapter ought ta hold you, though, right?
Anyway, Read and Review. Please. Tell me what you like, don't like, want see, don't want to see. You know. Something. Anything. Please?
_ScarletDrake
