Eric walked through the huge halls and rooms of the castle. He knew who he was looking for, just not where she was at the minute. He passed Grimsby and asked him for a little help.
"I believe she's in the laundry room," Grimsby told him. "Whatever do you need?"
"It's about Ariel and it's kind of private," Eric replied before heading toward the laundry room.
Just as Grimsby said, she was there. Eric saw her as soon as he walked in.
"Carlotta!"
"Good morning, your highness," Carlotta greeted him. "How are you this fine day?"
"I'm alright, but Ariel needs some help," he told her. "You see, Ariel woke up this morning with her period."
"Oh, no problem!" Carlotta assured him. "Just tell her it happens to all us ladies. I'll go collect the sheets."
"Well, actually, I had a favor to ask of you," Eric explained. "Ariel has only been on land for a month. She didn't know about human bodies beyond that they had legs. She thought she was ill. I was hoping you could explain to Ariel about her body and period."
For a moment, Carlotta blinked and then beamed. No one knew, but she had always wanted to teach somebody. Since she didn't have any children of her own, she never got the chance. Not to mention that it was the princess! To be asked to teach the princess made Carlotta feel like a princess herself.
"So will you talk to Ariel?" Eric asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Certainly!" Carlotta beamed.
Eric led Carlotta back to his and Ariel's bedroom, where he found Ariel lying down with her hand on her stomach. "Ariel, are you cold?"
"No," she answered. "My stomach hurts."
"That's also to do with your period," Eric told her.
"Eric, I don't like this period thing!" Ariel complained. "How do I make it stop?"
"You can't. Listen. Carlotta's going to explain all about it. Listen to what she says, okay?"
"Okay," Ariel said, a little calmer. Deciding it was better to leave Ariel alone, Eric took the blood-stained sheets and clothing to the laundry room.
"Firstly, why don't we get you dressed?" Carlotta suggested.
"No, I already ruined my nightgown and one of my dresses," Ariel explained. "I don't want to ruin another one."
"You won't. I will give you something to stop the blood from ruining your dress," Carlotta told her. She then took Ariel into the bathroom and helped her undress. She then gave Ariel what appeared to be, in Ariel's words, a tissue strip cloth. "It's called a sanitary napkin," she explained to the confused princess. "Or a pad. You have to place it in your undergarment."
Ariel felt awkward, but she followed what Carlotta said. "It feels weird," Ariel told her. "But kind of better."
"Good." Carlotta and Ariel went back to the bed. Ariel sat down slowly, not wanting her pad to move. "So is there anything you want to know first?"
"I want to know everything!" Ariel answered. "But first, I want to know if Eric's right. Do all human women do this? Mermaids sure don't bleed from their tails!"
"That's true," Carlotta agreed. "This does happen to all human women and that includes me. It happens every month."
"Every month?!" Ariel shrieked. She could've shaken the castle with her scream. "I don't want to bleed every month! That's terrible!"
Carlotta thought of a quick response, hoping to calm Ariel down. "It's actually a very good thing. It means your body is working normally."
"Really?" Ariel asked. "But where does the period blood come from?"
"Do you know what organs are?"
"Of course!" Ariel replied. "Heart, lungs, brain, live, stomach. Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head."
"That's good!" Carlotta praised her. "Well, there is an organ below your stomach call a uterus."
"Uterus?" Ariel repeated.
"Yes, and that's where the blood comes from," Carlotta explained. "It's a cycle your body goes through called menstruation."
"Menstruation," Ariel repeated, sounding out the word.
Carlotta chuckled good-heartedly. She was really going to have to tell Ariel everything.