Hello! :D This chapter has a bit of a flashback revealing some of Ariel's back story and how she met our favorite captain. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
"Wouldn't I love, love to explore the shore up out of the sea, wish I could be part of your world." -The Little Mermaid, Part of Your World
"Have I ever told you," Killian began the next morning as he and Ariel lay under the covers on his bed, "How much I like seeing you in my clothes."
The little mermaid couldn't help but laugh as she ran her hand ran up and down his bare chest, playing with a few curly hairs, "I'm sure you enjoy seeing me in them more than I do wearing them."
"Well I must admit I do fancy seeing you without them as well, however," he began as he situated himself so his head wrested on his left hand, supporting his weight on his elbow, "we can't have you flaunting yourself to everyone now, can we?"
"'Aye,'" she began mimicking him to the best of her ability, "'Mr. Smee will have a heart attack on the floorboards there and the seagulls will soon be peckin' at him.'"
"Now you're just being rude," Hook held an arm to his chest as if deeply offended, "That's it, off the plank with you!"
Ariel burst into a fit of giggles before laying still and staring at the ceiling of his cabin. Her companion would have to be joining the others on the deck of the ship soon; it would be his turn to navigate through the waters of Neverland.
She bit her lip and sensing her change of emotion, Hook looked at her intently and asked why she was here.
"Not that I don't enjoy your company, love," he hastily said to not be rude and have the woman in front of him take his words the wrong way, "but your appearance was rather sudden."
"It's the water, Killian…" she said turning to look at his brown eyes, "Something's going to happen. I can feel it. I don't know what it is that you and your 'rescue party' think you're going to do but Peter is dangerous and he's up to something."
The pirate raised an eyebrow when she referred to Pan as Peter. She was the only one to ever refer to him by his first name. He knew of their history but still, it unnerved him to think of their past together.
"Just…do me a favor and be careful." She murmured showing her concern in those green orbs she had for eyes.
Killian grinned and attempted to lighten the mood, "I shall try to appease the lady but my hook cannot be tamed."
"Oh!" she said nudging the pirate with her shoulder making him loose his balance from the weight he was supporting on his elbow, "You're a scoundrel, Killian Jones."
As the hearty pirate smirked with that devilish look he had in his eye, he leaned down and pressed his lips to the woman beside him just as the door flew open.
"Hook! It's-" shouted a surprised blonde upon entering the room before halting at the door and stopping midsentence, "It's your turn to command the ship."
The mermaid in the room growled, "Haven't you heard of knocking?" before turning her eyes to Emma who was standing awkwardly at the door.
"Easy lass," Hook began as he sat up and grabbed for his shirt, "We can continue our…discussion later." With a wink, he quickly pecked her on the lips before disappearing through the doorway and shutting it behind him, blocking Emma's view.
Ariel let out a huff before turning over in the bed and staring at the empty pillow next to her before her eyes began to close and she drifted off to sleep.
XxxxxxxX
Ariel was nostalgic for a life she never knew—the life of a human. The culture fascinated her. The clothes, the dancing, the communication, the work, the ships with their huge sails, the majestic castles, the unique objects the humans produced, the musical instruments, etc.
She felt lost. She was one of the King Triton's daughters, ruler of the ocean. She had many sisters and they were all so content with ocean life, happy following the same pattern of events. They followed their father's rules, attended all of the underwater events, helped produce the weather with their father and occasionally played with human males and enticed them into the deepest depths of the water. Always the curious one, always taking each day as an adventure, Ariel was ready to start a new adventure.
One day she visited the infamous sea witch Ursula. Throughout her childhood she heard rumors of the older octopus, her power was rumored throughout the ocean. Fish and mermen alike spread tales of her true power however when she visited her, asking her about her fate the witch's power was indeed exaggerated. Known for love potions, fortune telling, and messing with people's lives, the witch could not truly help Ariel with what she needed.
The only 'useful' information she told her was a bit of a prophecy after reading her palm: "Your life will change when you save the life of the human man with the brown eyes and steeled heart."
Weeks later, she saved the life of a drowning man named Prince Eric who she believed to be the man the Sea Witch was speaking about. He had jet-black hair, beautiful brown eyes, a strong jawline, and defined body. She had watched him and the people on the ship before it began to sink. The Prince needed a wife and looking at him on the sand after saving him, she knew that she could be it. This could be her ticket to her new life on the human land that mystified her.
After returning to the Sea Witch, she advised her to see the Crocodile. She warned her that not many people were satisfied after visiting the mysterious person but he could give her whatever she wanted with a price. Ariel was confident in her new opportunity and headstrongly visited the creature that could hopefully change Ariel's life.
The Crocodile giggled as he met her "Princess, how may I be of service?"
Ariel did not trust the man but she had waited too long. "I wish to marry Prince Eric."
"My, my," he started, "a mermaid in love with a human. You dream big dearie. In order for that, you'll need legs."
As Ariel opened her mouth to deny the accusation of loving the Prince, the crocodile beat her to it, "I can give you legs but at a price."
"What price?" she inquired unsure.
"Oh just a small trinket really. We can worry about that later. But," he said holding up a finger, "I have another price. I will give you legs but you must have them for three days and after, you can alternate from fish to human whenever you like."
"Why three days?"
The Crocodile stared at her with a mysterious twinkle in his eye before smiling, "No reason dearie. It's a small price to pay to live the life you always wanted."
Ariel stared at him. She had little to offer him; she would accept the consequences later. "Deal."
XxxxxxX
With her new long, slender legs Ariel tried to stand on the sand of the beach. She was clumsy and her legs wobbled as she tried to remain standing upright without falling over.
"Oh my, you can't meet your prince like that." The crocodile tsked before waving his hand and her bare form was then covered in a blue dress with a silver corset. Her toes now wiggled inside the blue shoes covering her foreign feet instead of the sand as they were previously.
The Crocodile giggled with a wide smile plastered on his scaley face, "Your Prince is away but will be back tomorrow. For tonight, here are some coins to book you a stay at the inn right there."
"Thank you." She told him as she accepted the bag full of coins. As she began to gain balance and walk pretty gracefully, she started making her way across the sand and toward the direction of the inn the Crocodile pointed to.
"Remember, dearie, three days!" she heard the crocodile giggle from behind her before he disappeared.
Sitting on a stool in the tavern section of the inn a couple hours later, Ariel could feel many gazes on her. She had given the innkeeper money from the bag but gaging the reaction she received from the innkeeper, she realized she must have given more money than what was needed and therefore was serviced rum in the tavern.
Surprisingly, the rum although strong to the humans, tasted quite well and gave her a tingly feeling that made her light on her feet. Her nerves for the upcoming day made her accept more of the beverage and began to be quite bubbly in mood—a feeling she hadn't had in a long time since her mother passed.
Sitting at the bar she had a perfect view of the patrons of the tavern. It delighted her to be there; watching all of the humans interact fascinated her. Men came and went through the tavern to get a drink, play a card game (most were loosing by the anger shown on their faces) and some of the men were being entertained by ladies with tight fitting corsets similar to the one Ariel was wearing except theirs made their bosoms lift higher enchanting the eyes of the men. Some of the women left with the men to go upstairs while others drank and whispered into the ears of them, occasionally kissing them. Ariel cocked her head and became fascinated watching these women. Their skirts swayed as they walked like they were floating on air and they held themselves with such dignity yet we were loose and their skirts flowed, following them wherever they went. Their lips were stained beautiful shades of red and some of them may have had laughs a little too loud, but that was probably due to the drinks they were having. Observing them, Ariel quickly learned that the beverage in her hand was the cause for much of the heightened moods in the room but as she grew more relaxed and swayed a bit herself, she knew it was quite an interesting feeling.
As she called for another drink, she heard a deep voice beside her, "I've always loved a woman who can hold her drink."
Turning to her left, her bright, tipsy eyes landed on a handsome stranger leaning on the bar next to her. She had noticed him earlier, playing cards and being the source of plenty other men's anger—no doubt it was he that winning. As he took coins from the angry men, she noticed that many of the ladies in the room with their red lips and flowing skirts tried to lean on him and capture his attention. With black hair framing his defined face, smoldering brown eyes, five o'clock shadow, and charming face, the man before her rivaled the beauty of her prince. He wore a leather coat, red vest, and a hook for a hand.
"You must not meet many women." She slurred as she smiled graciously at the barmaid who refilled the beverage in her hand.
"Aye, not many as pretty as you." He winked as he leaned closer to her, "Now, love, how does a lady so fine as you end up here alone?"
Ariel pondered the question as she took a deep drink of the brown intoxicating liquid in her hands, "I quite like observing people—you're all so interesting."
"Hmm," he studied the petite woman in front of him. She couldn't have been older than nineteen but something in her green, almond shaped eyes told him that she was older than she appeared. Her long red hair fell down in waves down her back and framed her pale face with such delicacy; she was unlike any other woman in the tavern and could feel something drawing him to her.
As Hook opened his mouth to offer her a beverage with him elsewhere, the redhead unexpectantly jumped off of her stool and stared wide eyed at the little band who started to play in the corner. The trio was playing a quick dance tune that was quite common to hear at places like these but the expression on the redhead before him bore pure excitement.
He smirked, "Would you like to dance, love?"
She was still distant, focusing her attention on the band performing before slowly turning her attention back to him, "Oh, uh, thank you but…I don't really know how." She finished biting her lip and looking down to the floor with her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. He had to resist from reaching out a finger and grazing the smooth surface of her face.
"Well," he grinned, "I may only have one hand but I am a hell of a leader. And you know what they say, all you need is a skilled leader."
"Oh but I-" she was cut off as the strange man grabbed her hand and pulled her to the opposite side of the tavern where some couples were already dancing. It wasn't a waltz but it was a quick, fiery of movement. Ariel struggled with her feet to keep up with her partner's movements but quickly found herself laughing with him as they moved all around the floor and holding onto him for support. Whether it was the dancing or the alcohol she had consumed was catching up with her, she was utterly euphoric.
As the song ended the two of them moved to a corner of the room where she leaned against the wall trying to catch her breath but still with a smile on her face. The man with the hook was leaning with one arm placed on the wall near her head looking down at her and for some unknown reason, she didn't even notice how close he was to her.
"Well, love, what do you say we go off for a night cap?" he whispered huskily as his face came closer to hers.
Unconsciously she moved her head to the side but he took it as an invitation as he began to press his soft, full pink lips to her neck. Ariel gasped, never feeling such a sensation before and closed her eyes as her body tingled from head to toe as he moved up to her jawline. Although her eyes were closed, her sense of hearing began to dim and suddenly before she knew it, she fell into a pit of darkness and her mind drifted into sleep.
Hook was surprised when all of a sudden the woman before him went limp in his arms and he had to catch her before she fell to the floor. He stared at the sleeping, beautiful girl he now held in his arms and looked around to see that everyone was carrying on as usual. He lifted her, bridal style, unsure where to take her. He had not seen her with anyone nor did he want to take her back to his ship but soon he caught sight of the innkeeper who nodded to the stairway, signaling that she was staying there. He nodded back in gratitude as he carried the sleeping girl upstairs. The tavern only had three rooms and based on the fact that two of the doors were occupied, he proceeded to the third door and gently placed the girl down onto the bed.
"Sleep well, love." he smiled as he watched the mysterious woman roll to her side and hug the pillow before closing the door and locking it on his way out to join his crew back in the tavern.
XxxxxxX
Hearing a light tapping on the door, Ariel groggily sat up in bed as the door slowly opened to reveal a certain Prince.
"Charming," Ariel smiled sleepily before rubbing her eyes, "What do I owe the pleasure?"
David let out a low chuckle as he observed the woman sitting in bed. Her flaming red hair was sprayed out in all directions and as she stretched her arms out he couldn't help but feel like he had seen her face somewhere before.
"I just came to wake you…Hook said we'll be docking soon." He replied still trying to place where he had seen her before. He certainly did not remember meeting her.
"Strange." He thought to himself before shaking those thoughts out of his head.
Ariel threw a smile towards the man still standing in the doorway before swinging her legs over the side of the bed to stand up with the white sheet covering her form before putting on Hook's jacket again. There was no need for her to change into clothes if they were going to land; it simply meant that it was time for her to leave.
"I'll be out in just a minute," she replied, "Thank you."
Nodding, David retreated back onto the deck and closed the door behind him to return to Mary Margaret. Tying Hook's jacket together, Ariel gave herself a once over in the mirror near the harpsichord Killian had in the corner of the room. Seeing her hair in disarray, she quickly combed it through her fingers deciding it was the best she could do for now before following Prince Charming's leave.
Every passenger of the Jolly Roger seemed to be on deck this morning, working out any last minute details on the plan to save Henry. Personally, Ariel didn't know how she felt about their adventure to Neverland. To be quite honest, she hardly cared whether they found the boy or not—the Lost Boys all loved their home with Peter on the island. Many parents had searched for their missing children to no avail before, what made this family any different? And once the search party was over and if by some unforeseen miracle, the boy was reunited with his family…what would Killian do? Seeing her favorite Captain converse with Emma Swan, Ariel couldn't help but feel a spark of jealousy.
Hook did not come back to see her; he came to save the boy. Emma Swan's boy. Watching him talk with the blonde woman, she could feel her fists clenching together and eyes begin to darken to a richer shade of green. It was evident by the look of Killian's face that he had some sort of attachment to the human woman. She was after all…human. The "Savior" was bred on land—she lived and breathed air! And she could give Hook something that Ariel never could…children.
"But," Ariel thought to herself bitterly, "she's not even that pretty. And her last name is of a bird; a stupid bird."
Trying to unclench her teeth and relax her hands, Ariel was a bit surprised when the Evil Queen spoke to her.
"Keep staring like that and you'll set her on fire," Regina smirked nodding in the direction of Killian and Emma, "Not that I would entirely mind but…it might take more than that to kill her unfortunately."
Ariel turned to the Queen and let out a small chuckle as she imagined the blonde's hair starting on fire. Before she could reply though, Snow White announced that they should all start on foot soon. Each second that went by they were further away from getting Henry.
Taking that as her cue, Ariel pushed threw Emma and Hook who were standing by the plank of the ship and began to untie the knot of Killian's jacket.
"Where are you going?" Emma asked staring at the mermaid in front of her. Although she did not trust the woman wearing Hook's coat, she knew that in order to save Henry they would need all the help they could get.
"What does it look like?" Ariel replied hotly, "I'm going back to the water."
Hook, seeing the dark shade of green in Ariel's eyes, sighed before taking a step towards her, "Come on, lass. We're going to need you."
Ariel stared at him for several moments before silently removing the jacket and throwing it to him, leaving her as bare as a seal to the crowd on board.
"Seems like you have everything you need." She said bitterly before diving into the water and letting her tail splash before swimming under the surface and towards the water's depths.