As the ball began, the ballroom began to fill with royalty from all corners of the 12 oceans. Diana sat in front with her parents and looked as regal as she let on. Inside, she was dreading what was to come out after this ball ended. Soon trumpets sounded as Prince Alexander and his father, King Animus III, entered. King Severin and Queen Meroine gracefully flittered over to greet King Animus III and engage in conversation. Prince Alexander approached Diana and she stood up.
"Well, my lovely bride looks quite stunning; the glittering jewel of the Jasmine Sea. Shall we socialize?" He said, reaching for her hand.
'I would rather be pricked by poisonous coral with no cure than be anywhere with you' she thought but politely placed her hand in his. "Yes, thank you, Prince Alexander" she said and stood up.
As the ball went on, everyone socialized, dined, danced, and had a grand time. Diana simply felt all eyes on her as she roamed around with Alexander, a prisoner in her own home. She swam out to the balcony for some peace and quiet. She watched the guests socialize and noticed her fiancé keeping up his usual fake smile and just rolled her eyes. When he made eye contact with her, he came over and stood next to her.
"Quite a lovely evening for a ball. And you are more stunning than any of the other mermaids here" He said, trying to flatter her.
Diana glanced over at him and looked back out at the scenery. All she could see was the shine of the kingdom up to the border and then almost nothing but the dim vastness of the ocean. Looking up, she couldn't even make out the moon. "Yes, lovely…if not more."
She felt Alexander leering at her before he placed his arm around her waist. "You know, this evening can get much better. Let me escort you back to your room. You can relax and have a breather. And we can talk and get to know each other a little better before our wedding." His hands trailed around her waist to her hips and it made her cringe. She gently pushed his hand off of her waist and put a little space between them. "What's the matter? All I'm doing is trying to comfort my bride" he said and moved closer, almost grabbing her arm.
"I don't need to be comforted by you. I know what you really want. I am not interested" She said and was about to swim away when he pulled her back roughly. "What are you doing? Let go of me this instant, you brute."
"Listen, you wretch. I will not tolerate such disrespect from an incompetent princess. So I suggest you straighten up and do as you're told. You don't have a right to refuse me" he snapped and slapped her when she tried yanking away from him. The slap rang through the ball and made the music stop. "You are mine. Once we're married, you can't escape me. Everything you are belongs to me!"
Diana yanked her arm away and glared at him, tears willing her eyes as her cheek started to swell. "I will NEVER be yours! You horrid, heartless creature! Even if Neptune himself sanctioned this union, I would rather poison myself than become your wife!" She exclaimed and swam past everyone in the ball and back to her room.
Diana swam to her room and pulled off her dress, pearls, pendant, and tiara before calling in an octopus to block her door. She knew her fiancé would try pinning the blame on her for the sudden outburst that disrupted the ball and that her parents would come down hard on her for causing such a racket. And after everything, there wouldn't be a shred of freedom left for her. She wouldn't be able to leave the castle without a guard or two, she would constantly be under her parent's supervision, and worse, the plans for her to marry Prince Alexander would progress much faster. Once that was done, she would never taste freedom again. Cornered and unable to bear it any longer, Diva swam out her room window and as fast as she could away from the palace.
She swam as far as her fins would carry her and up to the surface. Knowing the ocean well, she could usually tell where she was, but she was so disoriented from her swim that she could not focus. Climbing out onto a rock inside a small cove and with the moonshining down on her, she cried. "I cannot bear this burden any longer. I would rather be banished or exiled than return to my home." Looking up at the brilliant full moon, Diana made her wish again.
"Goddess Luna of the Moon…lord Neptune of the Sea…please hear my wish…I know I am a princess and have duties I cannot escape. But I beg of you, please help me to escape this ill-fated union. I do not wish to marry Prince Alexander. He is a brute, ill tempered, devious, and I do not love him. I never could love such a creature. I beg of you, give me three days away from this life that I've known! I want to find someone who will listen to me, cherish me, treasure me like the finest ocean jewel, and love me for who I am. I wish to live as a normal girl…I wish to live as a human girl!" She cried out with all her heart as the last tear fell from her cheek and hit the water.
Just then a voice called to her and she looked around and two figures. One emerged from the water and the other from the sky. It was the goddess Luna of the Moon and lord Neptune of the Sea. Diana stared at them in awe and bowed to show her respect. Luna gently touched Diana 's shoulder and lifted her head. "Dear Princess. We have seen everything that's happened to you all these years and we have heard your wish."
"We will grant your wish, but just know that you will only have three days. We will give you human legs and you will spend these next three days living as an Upworlder. And if you can find a male Upworlder that loves you and have him confess his love to you before the midnight on the final day, then you will remain human. But if you cannot accomplish this goal, you will die and nothing will be left of you but a pearl" Neptune advised her.
Luna looked down at her tail and imagined three days without it as well as the freedom she will experience. She looked up and then looked away. "What if he were to find out my secret; that I am a mermaid. What will happen then?" She asked.
"Should that happen, and the male can still accept you, then you both will have a choice; to live on land as an Upworlder or to return to Mer-world. There is no in between," said the goddess. Taking everything into consideration, Luna did not hesitate to accept. A warm light surrounded her and Diana's turquoise-aqua tail disappeared and changed to human legs and she was left sitting on the rock naked. "Here, take this. A present." Luna had given her a shell pendant resembling the one she wore during the ball. "This will show you what is happening in your kingdom during your absence."
Taking the pendant, Diana placed it around her neck before she was transported to land and left unconscious. "Remember, if you cannot accomplish your goal before midnight on the final day, you will die and nothing will be left of you but a pearl," Neptune reminded her. The last things Diana heard before the darkness took her were Neptune and Luna saying, "We will be watching."