A/N: I give you chapter two. Enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own The Little Mermaid
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Thirty minutes later, Eric was on board his ship, shouting commands and preparing his men. The Little Mermaid's crew acted fast. They readied the cannons, loaded pistols and filled the barrels of their guns with gunpowder. The men were anticipating a battle against the pirates. For years now, the pillagers had been burning their ships, taking their valuables and their women, killing innocents for no reason save for that the poor souls had gotten in their way. Revenge was the motive now.
Eric, too, had his motives. He wanted to protect his kingdom, and perhaps he had a personal reason, too. After hearing that pirates had killed Ariel's mother, he had been filled with a new sense of desire—to avenge a wrongful death. He loved Ariel so much that her causes were now his own. He would do anything for her.
Eric took his place at the helm of his ship and waited to give an order. It made him more at ease to know that Captain Charles and his navy fleet were nearby, waiting for orders from him.
The pirates would soon be on them. After a quick glance into his telescope, Eric judged that they would be close enough to fire upon in an hours time. That would give him and his men enough time to be completely ready for an attack.
Half-an-hour passed. The men waited in anticipation. Their palms were pressuring, their trigger fingers itching to fire. The mood was bordering on impatience now.
Eric refused to get antsy. Instead, he focused his gaze to the horizon, waiting in silence.
The pirates had yet to notice that two navy fleets waited to ambush them on the harbor. If they had, Eric would have seen a flurry of activity on the deck as they, too, prepared for an attack. He felt smug knowing that he had the advantage.
Ten more minutes passed. Eric prepared to give the command to fire. He held up his hand, counting down silently in his mind.
Ten . . . nine . . . eight . . .
"Prepare your weapons, men!" he called. Following his order was the cocking of pistols. Below deck, men prepared to light the fuse on the cannons.
Seven . . . six . . . five . . .
"Ready . . . "
Four . . . three . . . two . . . one
"Fire!"
The sound of many guns going off was as resounding as thunder in a hurricane. It shook the deck of the ship with a powerful tremor. Eric watched with pride for his navy as the pirate ship was pummeled by cannon fire. The ship wasn't close enough yet for the gunman to shoot and succeed in hitting a target, but they were already reloading their weapons with fresh powder and ammunition.
Eric was about to give another command to fire when he realized the pirates weren't retaliating. They continued to advance at an alarming speed. The prince could see the deck of their ship clearly now, and a cold sweat broke out all over his body at the sight of the fearless men on board.
He also realized something else: Captain Charles hadn't responded to his order to attack. With that realization, Eric felt dread fill him to the core. Both the pirate ship and The Flying Gull were now sailing to entrap The Little Mermaid on either side. The prince and his fleet were sorely outnumbered.
Eric suddenly went numb with shock. He couldn't move or seem to issue an order. His crew became panicked when they realized they were trapped, and fumbled with their weapons as they awaited an order from their leader.
They also realized something else in those fleeting moments: they had been betrayed.
Eric shook out of his stupor to take charge again. But he realized he could do nothing but give the men the order to hold steady as planks were slid across to allow men from the other ships to come abroad The Little Mermaid.
The prince and his fleet were suddenly surrounded. Pirates and navy men alike jumped down onto the deck and ordered the prince's men to drop their weapons. Eric's men did as told, powerless to do anything else.
"Get th' prince," a pirate shouted.
Eric was suddenly seized by two foul-smelling pirates with long, oily hair and nasty grins. They dragged him down from the helm and tossed him in with his men. He scowled at the traitorous lot, embittered that he had allowed things to become out of hand. But what could one do when their fellow navy had turned against them?
"Where is Captain Charles," Eric demanded, wanted to spew out a string of strong, heated words to the traitor.
The men laughed nastily.
"Dead, he is," one of the navy traitors sneered. "I kilt him meself."
Eric was stunned. Captain Charles was dead? He swallowed, feeling guilty for thinking such dark thoughts of the man. The Captain, God rest his soul, had been just as blind as he was of this attack.
"Surprised, ain't ye, Prince Eric?" one of the pirates drawled out, sounding gleeful. "We stunned 'em good, mates, di'nt we?" The men shouted their agreements in unison. Eric felt sickened. He suddenly thought of Ariel and hoped she was safe.
"Let my men go," Eric demanded. "They are innocent. If it's me you want . . . "
"You were always so gallant, aye?" a navy traitor spat. "Well, look where it has gotten you, boy. You are now going to pay for your poor lax in judgment."
Eric wanted to throw his fist in the man's ugly face, but he held his ground. It wouldn't help him or his men if he let his anger get the best of him.
"I want to speak with the captain of your ship," he said.
The pirates all exchanged nasty grins with one another.
"If ye say so, boy."
The men moved back to let their captain—who had been waiting at the back of the crowd—come through. The captain was just as mean-looking as his crew. He was short and stocky, with long, greasy dark hair pulled back with a leather thong. He was dressed more elaborately in a white shirt, dark breeches, and a black tailcoat that had seen better days. What completed his formidable appearance was the pistol strapped to his hip, and an eyepatch covering his left eye. A long, jagged scar marred his cheek, and a dark scowl twisted his lips in an ugly sneer. His cold, menacing gaze was centered on Prince Eric.
Eric caught the urge to take a step back. Instead, he matched the pirate captain's gaze with a hard one of his own.
"Yer as defiant as yer father, givin' me that look," the captain drawled out in a deep, booming voice that shook the masts of the ship.
Eric clenched his fist until his fingernails were biting into his flesh.
"Me and my father share similar traits, yes," he bit out. "We both hate pirates like yourself with a passion."
The captain chuckled. It was a chilling sound. "I can see it in yer eyes boy. Th' hate makes you strong."
"What ever you want with my crew and I, let them go. They are innocent. They don't deserve your tyranny."
"Ye don't get to make negotiations, boy. If I want to spare yer puny crew, I will spare them. Of course, if ye come quietly, I might just let them walk away with their lives."
With those words, a mutter of disappointment from the pirates and traitors alike filled the air. Clearly, the men had been anticipating blood shed. The whole lot of them were fingering their swords and licking their lips as if they couldn't wait to plunge their blades into flesh. The thought sickened Eric.
"I'll come quietly," he agreed. "But you have to hold up your end of the bargain."
The captain's smile was cold, deceitful. "What bargain?" Then he made a swift motion with his hand. Eric didn't have time to react. There was the flash of swords sliding free from their sheaths, then without mercy, the men buried the blades of their weapons into the bellies of Eric's men. With guttural grunts and cries of pain and surprise, his entire crew was slaughtered.
Eric was stunned. He suddenly couldn't take the sight of blood and death, and spun around to vomit the contents of his stomach onto the deck. The men around him erupted in mean laughter.
"Throw them overboard for th' sharks," the captain ordered sharply. His crew obeyed and swiftly tossed the bodies overboard.
The sounds of lifeless bodies splashing into the sea further sickened Eric. All he could think about was the mothers, wives, and children that had lost sons, husbands and fathers. Then he thought of Ariel and wondered if he would survive today. If he didn't, he would be breaking his promise to her.
Two men suddenly grabbed Eric's arms and held him in vice-like grips. The maneuver wasn't necessary, as Eric wasn't going to struggle and put his life in further jeopardy. The only way he could stay alive now was to do as the pirates wanted.
The captain approached Eric. He withdrew his sword and pressed the tip of the blade to Eric's neck.
"Don't worry, boy. Ye won't suffer th' same fate as yer crew," he said. "I need ye fer another propose afore I throw yer body overboard." He jerked his head in the direction of the pirate ship and barked an order to his men. "Take him to the brig and lock him up."
Eric went limp as the men dragged him off. When they threw him into the brig below decks and slammed the door shut, he accepted his fate and remained solemn. He knew that somehow he would find a way to escape and return to Ariel. He had made her a promise; and when Eric made promises to the people he loved, he honored them.
