His grandfather must have been in a good mood.
The sea was even more tranquil than it had been on Saturday and a gentle wind blew the fresh sea air towards him as he walked along the sandy beach. For a moment, Adam allowed his worries to slip away. Even after all of this time, the sound of the waves still soothed him and filled him with an unparalleled sort of contentment.
There really was nothing more beautiful than the ocean.
Filling his lungs with the sweet sea air, the young king continued his walk- his talk with Carlotta made him feel better than he had in weeks and, much to his surprise, he was even beginning to consider going along with his sister's plan next Saturday. Maybe it would be nice to join his family for a day. He could stretch his tail for a bit, enjoy an afternoon of freedom, and let all thoughts of Peter and the war slip from his mind.
Carlotta was right. If he didn't do something, he was going to break down. Simply finding the will to wake up was getting harder and harder every day...
But still, he was scared, and he knew that if he did return to the sea, even for a day, he was putting a lot of things at risk. This was not a decision to be taken lightly.
"Watch out!"
The king paused in mid step and looked frantically around to find the source of the frantic voice. A quick glance told him that there was no one else on the beach that afternoon...well, no one human, anyway.
"Oh my goodness! Your majesty! I didn't realize it was you! I apologise for getting in your way!"
The voice spoke again and this time Adam looked down to see a small sea turtle looking up at him with wide eyes.
He quickly took a step back before kneeling down to address the surprised creature.
"It is quite alright." He assured her with a warm smile. "I should be the one apologising- I nearly stepped on you." He paused. "Are you okay? You're rather far from the shore for a sea turtle."
The young turtle lowered her head. If turtles could blush, Adam was pretty sure that she would have.
"I was here with my brothers." She began slowly, "and they dared me to walk all the way over to that rock over there by the cliff. So I did...but when I turned around, they had dived back into the ocean. I suppose this is their idea of a joke, but mother is going to be furious."
Adam nodded sympathetically.
"I've been trying to walk back, but the tide keeps getting further and further away and I'm exhausted." She paused. "I'm only three months old, you know. And I'm much better at swimming than I am at walking."
"I know the feeling." Adam muttered with another nod. "Would it be helpful if I carried you back to the water?"
"I don't want to be any trouble, your majesty..."
"Nonsense." The king cut in. "It is no trouble at all- I would be happy to help."
And with that, he scooped up the tiny turtle and began to walk towards the water. What seemed far to her was only about fifteen metres to him, and he reached his destination in no time.
As he bent down to place her in the water, she gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, your majesty!"
He chuckled, amused by her youthful enthusiasm. "I don't mind at all, really."
As soon as she reached the water, the turtle gave a few kicks, and let out a gleeful giggle.
"My brothers will be so jealous!" she exclaimed, swimming around in an excited circle. "Mother and father are always talking about what a great man the land-king is- they think it is wonderful that a merman is in charge of the realm now. And now that you've saved my life...oh wow, I can't wait to tell everyone at school that you're as great and kind as everyone thinks!"
Adam's eyes widened in surprise- he had been unaware that he had such a reputation under the water and was shocked to hear that he was, apparently, widely admired. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.
"Er...well, thanks." He stuttered, unsure of how to respond. "It was a pleasure to meet you."
The little turtle giggled once more before bowing her head in his direction. "It was a pleasure to meet you too, your majesty. Thank you! Thank you so much!"
And with that, she dived beneath the sparkling blue water and disappeared from sight, leaving the king shaking his head in bemusement. That had certainly been...unexpected. It had been a long time since he had conversed with a sea creature. Even when he was in human form, some of his mer abilities remained- including the ability to talk to animals from his grandfather's realm. As a child, he had had many aquatic friends...but since becoming king, he had all but cut himself off from that world. Humans couldn't talk to fish, and if anyone caught him, he had no idea how he would explain himself.
Thankfully, the beach was quiet today, and he was pretty sure that no one had heard him having a conversation with the tiny turtle.
A large wave splashed against his leg causing Adam to jump back in surprise. It had been a long time since he had stood this close to the shore and the turtle's predicament had momentarily made him forget his new proximity to the water.
With a sigh, he looked down at his soaking pants and shoes. He couldn't deny it; the water felt good- just as it had when Melody had splashed him on Saturday. A sudden sense of urgency washed over him and he impulsively decided to give in to his desires- at least a little.
Heart pounding, Adam sat down in the cool sand and quickly pulled off his boots. After flinging them aside, he rolled his pant legs up to his knees and reached his feet towards the lapping waves. Seconds later, another wave rushed towards him, and he tried not to flinch as the water washed over his legs once more.
The ocean was warm, and the water wrapped around him like a soft blanket on a winter's day.
It felt spectacular. Even better than he remembered.
The wave pulled back all too quickly, leaving his legs exposed once more. An empty feeling filled the pit of his stomach, and he found himself eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next surge.
Thankfully, it came quickly.
He stayed like that for a long time- allowing the water to sweep back and forth and revelling in its familiar comfort. It wasn't the same as immersing himself in it but, after years of depravation, even this partial contact felt amazingly good.
He could have stayed like that forever, and he was so distracted by the joy of it all that he didn't notice the arrival of a second person on the beach.
"Adam."
The soft voice caught him by surprise and he opened his eyes in alarm. For a moment, he half expected to see the little sea turtle again, but as his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized that it was one of the people he had been yearning for the most.
"Mom."
There was no masking the surprise in his voice as he abruptly stood up in the sand. His mother rarely came to the surface- and he certainly never came in broad daylight when she could be seen. The court had been told that Queen Ariel had gone to a sunnier climate, for her health, and the sight of her bobbing in the ocean would certainly take some explaining.
He was torn between running into her arms, and reprimanding her for being so brash.
As it was, he simply stood there in shock.
"What are you doing here?"
Ariel smiled, and Adam could not help but notice that she looked younger than she had when she left. Perhaps the sea had rejuvenated her- mermaids, after all, were supposed to have much longer life spans than humans. Although she had aged at a normal rate on shore, it seemed as if her time in the ocean was restoring her to her natural state.
"I was worried about you, Adam." She replied tenderly. Ariel was as close to the shore as she could come without exposing her tail and Adam could tell that she was longing to wrap him in a warm embrace. A part of him craved the same thing...but he wasn't ready to walk into the water.
He couldn't.
"When Melody came home on Saturday she was very concerned. She wouldn't tell me what you talked about, but I knew that I needed to see you." The mermaid paused as she gazed at her son. "You look tired, Adam. And worried."
He sighed. She knew him too well, and there was no use hiding anything from her. "We can't talk here." He said softly, taking a tentative step towards the water. "If someone sees you..."
She nodded, understanding his concern. "We can talk below the surface, if you'd like." She suggested.
For a moment, Adam's heart leapt into his throat. No...no. As much as he wanted to, he knew that he couldn't.
He had to be strong.
"Swim over to that rock." He replied, trying not to let her see how anxious he was. "No one will be able to see us back there."
She looked concerned but wordlessly obliged. For a moment, she went out of his sight, and Adam waited for the tide to draw back before making a quick dash towards the large rock. He jumped onto the hard surface as quick as he could, thankful that he was not any wetter than before.
His mother had already pulled herself onto the lower edge of the rock- only the bottom half of her tail remained in the water now and Adam was able to sit beside her without getting in the water himself.
Now that they were safe, he allowed himself to smile. Risky as it was, he was thankful that she had come.
He may have been king now, but sometimes, he still needed his mother.
Unable to wait any longer, Ariel threw her arms around her son and drew him into a tight embrace. He felt like a child again and he knew that his mother's comforting arms were exactly what he needed. It had been far too long since they had done this.
"I've missed you, darling." Ariel said softly as she drew back and brushed a dark red lock of hair out of his eyes. "So much."
"I've missed you too, mom." He replied with a sad smile. It was wonderful to see her, but he knew that their time together would be all too short. The sight of her green tail shimmering in the sunlight was a painful reminder of that.
For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence- simply content to be together. Adam loved how familiar it felt, and how much being there reminded him of his childhood. They had done this often back then. On warm summer nights, Ariel would take her young son down to the beach, and they would watch the ocean from their favourite rock by the shore.
It had been a happy time, and he missed how simple his life at been at that age.
He knew there was no turning back now.
"You're not yourself, Adam." Ariel observed, her eyes locked on his. "Please, talk to me."
The young man looked away. Part of him wanted to tell her, but the responsible half of his brain advised against it. She had been so fragile in the years after his father's death and, although they had always been close, Adam had found himself unable to burden her with his problems. He didn't want her to worry about him, and he would never be able to forgive himself if he brought more sadness into her life.
He did his best to smile.
"I'm fine. It has just been a long day- that's all." It was a half-truth, but he hoped she would be satisfied.
Ariel looked sceptical. "What did you and Melody discuss on Saturday?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing much. Just regular stuff."
The queen raised a red brow, and Adam squirmed under her gaze.
Maybe a bit more information wouldn't hurt.
"She suggested that we all spend the day together next Saturday. She wants to have a picnic near the Northern Isle."
His mother nodded. "Yes, she did mention that. I hope that you will join us."
It was getting hard to ignore the knot in the pit of his stomach, but Adam tried to keep himself steady.
"I don't know yet." He replied slowly, glancing down at the grey rock. He could not stand to see the disappointment in her eyes.
"Oh."
Adam winced. "It's not that I don't want to spend the day with you." He quickly amended. "I do. Of course I do. It's just that the Northern Isle is rather far- maybe if we stayed closer to the castle..."
"Far?" She questioned, a note of confusion in her voice. "It is only about a fifteen minute swim. You know that- you and Melody used to swim there all the time when you were a child."
He felt his heart rate quicken. He was going to have to tell her the truth...the look that she was currently giving him made it clear that she knew that something was up.
"Yeah, but I can't really...swim anymore. Not like that."
After a pause, she nodded- a lock of realization on her face. Much to his relief, she did not look angry, but there was no masking her concern.
Ariel brought a gentle hand up to her son's cheek and turned his head towards hers.
"Oh Adam." She said, her eyes full of sadness. "My little merman."
"No. Not anymore."
It had been her childhood nickname for him- ever since they had discovered how much he cherished the sea. He had loved it then, and felt proud that he was clearly his mother's son. But hearing it now just filled him with a wave of regret and gloom.
He had chosen another life now. And in order to make his father proud and fulfil his duties, he had had to turn his back on his mother and her people. He hated that it had to be one or the other, but it was hard to picture it any other way.
Instead of questioning him further, Ariel glanced towards the shore. She knew him better than anyone, and those few words had been enough to tell her what she wanted to know.
He could tell that she understood now.
"This is the same rock I hid behind after I saved your father, you know." Her voice broke through the silence, and Adam turned towards his mother- surprised that she had chosen to discuss this now.
She rarely spoke about Eric anymore.
It was simply too painful.
"You never told me that." Adam replied cautiously.
"I know." She smiled sadly. "I still remember it so clearly. He was so much bigger than I was, and I'm still not sure how I managed to pull him all the way to shore. But somehow, I did." Ariel pointed towards a distant spot on the beach. "I put him there and when he started to wake up, I hid here to make sure he was going to be alright. I wanted to stay so badly- wanted to talk to him...but I figured I was being silly. A human and a mermaid- it was simply unheard of."
Adam nodded. He had heard the story before- he and Mel had always loved hearing about their parent's epic love when they were kids. Back then, it had seemed so perfect. Now, however, he could not help but wonder if it really was meant to be.
He was the result of a forbidden union, and it seemed as if he was doomed to be an outcast, no matter what sort of life he chose.
Maybe the land and sea were not meant to mix.
"I remember how I felt back then. It seemed so unfair that I was stuck with my tail when all I had ever wanted was to live on land. With him..." Ariel trailed off for a moment, and Adam could see the redness in her eyes as she remembered the man she would always love. "And when my father gave me legs, I was so sure that everything would be perfect from then on. And, I suppose, in a lot of ways I was right. Your father was everything I wanted, and you and your sister made me happier than I ever thought possible."
Adam smiled as she brought her hand up to his cheek once more.
"But, as happy as I was, there was always a part of me that yearned for the sea. No matter how hard I tired, I couldn't ignore it. The sea is too strong, and it was always a part of me."
She paused again and met her son's blue eyes with her own.
"I know what it feels like, Adam- to be a fish out of water. It's hard, and it is a constant struggle. It threatens to consume you every minute of every day. And, through it all, spending time in the water was the only thing that kept me sane."
The young king was somewhat surprised to hear her confession. Her love of swimming had never been a secret, and she had gone in the ocean often- but to hear her speak of her own struggles was something new. He knew his mother loved the water, but she had never told him that she yearned for it just as he did now.
She had masked her pain well.
"It's hard." He whispered.
"I know."
A wave crashed against the rock, spraying them with a shower gentle droplets. The tide was starting to come in, and Adam knew that it was only a matter of time before the rock was submerged. He would have to choose soon- escape back to the shore, or disappear into the depths with her.
"You can't stay out of the water forever." His mother said softly. "The merman in you will always crave it, and I know that the only solution is to give in. Not forever, but sometimes." She paused. "Your grandfather gave you a gift- one that he was not even able to give me. You don't have to choose one or the other. You can choose both. You are both."
"Sometimes I wish I was normal."
Adam regretted his words as soon as he had said them- the look of hurt in his mother's eyes filled him with another wave of regret. He knew that he shouldn't have let his guard down.
"I'm sorry."
His heart sank. "Don't say that." He replied. "I didn't mean it like that. I love being a merman...that's actually the problem. I wish I could spend all of my time in the sea, but I know I can't."
She gave him a comforting smile. "No. Not yet. But maybe one day."
He was about to ask her what she meant when another wave diverted his attention. The water was getting dangerously high.
Adam knew that he needed to go.
"I should be getting back." He said quietly, glancing towards the large stone castle. From here, it looked almost like a prison- and sometimes, it felt like it was. He didn't want to leave. Not really.
"Alright my darling." Ariel replied, pulling him towards her for one final hug. "Will I see you on Saturday?"
Despite everything, he was unable to suppress a sudden grin.
"Yeah." He said firmly, suddenly sure of his decision. "I'll see you Saturday."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This time, his stalking had been unintentional.
Furious with the end of that week's meeting, Peter had stormed down to the beach to get out some of his aggression and had unexpectedly spotted his incompetent cousin...talking to a turtle, no less!
Thinking that the other man was clearly losing his mind, Peter had crouched behind a sand dune to watch the show, praying that his presence would not be discovered.
Thankfully, the king was too distracted by his one-sided conversation to notice the new arrival, and had walked over to the water to release his new-found "friend."
For awhile after that, things got boring- the king stuck his feet in the water, and Peter wondered if his snooping was really worth it this time. Sure, seeing Adam talk to a turtle had been amusing enough- but, unfortunately, that wasn't the sort of incriminating evidence he was looking for. (Though maybe it could be mentioned when he eventually tried to convince the councillors that the king was mentally unstable...)
He had been about to leave when something- or rather, someone- very surprising had appeared.
Queen Ariel- who was supposedly in Greece or Turkey or someplace like that- had popped her head out of the water. Peter had no idea what to make of that. Not only was she supposed to be out of the country, but he could not for the life of him figure out how she had appeared from under the water like that. He hadn't seen her go into the water anywhere nearby...how long could she possibly hold her breath for that long?
The whole scene made him suspect that the female voice he had heard the other night near the dock had been Princess Melody after all. She was said to be "missing"...but of the absent Queen could pop out of the water like that, then maybe the Princess could too. He hadn't been able to see her face, but it had certainly sounded like her.
In Peter's opinion, this was all very suspicious.
The king had not seemed too surprised to see his mother (did family members regularly pop out of the water?)- but he had, much to Peter's annoyance, told her that they should talk behind a rock.
That seemed a bit odd. And it also meant that the Duke could no longer see or hear the pair.
Nevertheless, he left the back that day feeling absolutely certain that the king was hiding something. Something big.
He hoped that he would find some answers next Saturday...as soon as he did, Adam's days as ruler would be numbered.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A/N Tell me what you think! One note on something Ariel said- I may explain this in the story later, but in my mind, Triton was able to give Adam and Melody rings to change back and forth but could not do the same for Ariel. The children belong to both worlds, and therefore require less magic to change- Ariel, being a full mermaid, needs her father's full power/the trident to make a shift.