Chapter 4

The next morning Triton and Ariel woke when the boat suddenly jerked as if signaling it was slowing down. Sabastian climbed up the side to look out and see what was going on and found the boat was slowing down into a harbor of an island that was surrounded by mountains on all sides except for the way they were entering.

"Welcome Miss Star and King Triton, to my exotic island, where the rarest of the rare fish stay. Here will be your new home for the next few days as my guests come in from all corners of the globe to see my shows. We will be here for a few days before we set back out to sea to see what else we can catch," Mr. Bucks said with a smirk. "With your triton at my disposal, catching rare fish should be no problem for me now. I do have to say it was quite fun getting you to surrender Triton."

"You said you'd let my daughter go if I handed it over," Triton growled, wrapping his arms protectively around Ariel.

"If you recall, I said I might let Star go or I might just keep her! I never said I would let her go, that was just your hope. Why would I let her go? With both of you, I can get twice as much money since no one has ever seen a live mermaid or merman before let alone the famous King Triton. Now I did have something made for you Triton," Bucks said with a smile pulling out a triton and tossing it at the king. "It's not your real one, it's just plastic, but it will look good for the shows and the pictures."

"Shows and pictures," Triton asked with a frown.

"Star, why don't you explain the shows to your dear ol' father, I'm sure he'll love it. Anyways, you have about ten minutes until we dock and start unloading and then we will transport you to your new homes," and with that he turned his back on the merpeople and walked away, laughing.

"Who the hell is Star," Triton growled and Ariel sighed.

"Star is what he has decided my name will be. I told him that my name is Ariel, but he's decided that Star sounds better. Anyways, I should warn you, he's going to make us preform in his show, with your triton in his hand, I don't think we will have much of a choice. But daddy, please don't get mad at the girl who trains in the shows with the fish, she's just as much a prisoner here as we are, that evil man caught her in his net too."

"That human catches his own kind, that's the dumbest thing I have ever heard," Triton said with a frown.

"Maybe so, but he does."

"She's right your majesty, dey almost killed dat poor girl last night by tangling her in a net and dropping her in the water. Ariel saved her, but it was a close one," Sabastian added with a frown.

Before they knew it, a quiet girl, (Ellie), came up to their tank. "Um, Ariel…Mr…Mr. Bucks says it's time for you and your father to be loaded up and taken to the island." She kept her eyes down and didn't look at them, "I'm really sorry your majesty, you shouldn't have been caught, but Mr. Bucks is a hard man." She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was around before she added in a rush, "I'll do whatever I can to help get the both of you out of here, it's not right for you to be caged." She looked away and sighed, "I…I'm sorry, but I'm suppose to help get you out of the tanks and get you onto land, taking care of the fish is my job, my only job…"

"Ellie, go get the other fish ready, I'll see to Triton and Star," Bucks said with a smirk.

Ellie's eyes went back down to the floor quickly, "Yes sir." She turned to leave and he grabbed her shoulder.

"You're such a good girl, doing everything daddy tells you to, I'm very proud of you." Ellie winced at the name daddy, but she knew better then to say anything in response. She accepted his hug and then when he released her, she hurried off. Ariel glared at him and he smirked. "Do you have a problem Star?"

Ariel's frown turned into a scowl, "Yeah, I don't like how you treat the people you keep here. Even my father treats our servants better than that! It's not right to toss her into the water in a net so she can't save herself one night and then the next day you hug her and tell her you're her father and you're proud of her! It's wrong!"

"Well, as much as I'd like to debate this with you Star, we really do need to get a move on, the show is tomorrow and you and your father have a lot of training to do before you are ready for the show. Now," he said lifting the triton, "I want you both to hop out of the tank like good fish and climb onto this lift I have for you so we can transport you to the water where you will be carried to your new home." The triton glowed and both of them grunted as they were forced to obey Buck's command and climb onto the lift. Ariel could see, out of the corner of her eye, that Eric was being escorted out from under the deck with shackles on his ankles and wrists. She tried to move to help him, but the power of her father's triton was too strong and she had to stay in place.

Eric saw Ariel's struggle and wanted to help her, but he was held tight by several men and wasn't able to do anything either. He watched helplessly as Ariel was loaded into the tank and driven off to wherever Bucks was taking her and her father. Eric swore he'd try and help Ariel and her father however he could. He felt horrible that he could do nothing to save them, he should have done more the night before when Bucks was threatening Ariel. It had made his blood boil with anger when he saw Bucks with the knife to Ariel's throat, but Buck's men had such a tight hold on him he hadn't been able to do anything.

Bucks left the ship like a king and it really made not just Eric, but Ariel and Triton mad too. They hated how stuck up Bucks seemed, especially now that he had the Triton. "Where are you taking her," Eric snarled at Bucks and Bucks laughed.

"Fear not cabin boy, they are in no harm, they are being taken to their tanks. Of course, to keep the trouble down they will be put in separate tanks, but they will be safe, I can't have any harm come to my main attractions. You on the other hand, you are just a cabin boy. We have a nice little holding cell for you on my island, complete with dirt and rats and everything," he smirked as Eric scowled. "Of course, most of the day you will be too busy working to be in the cell."

"And I suppose you will be putting Ellie in there too," Eric said bitterly.

"Of course not, Ellie is like a daughter to me, she has a much better place to stay, she stays in my own personal cabin with me and my men. She is well taken care of," he said with a warm smile.

"Only as long as she does what she is told," Eric said with a frown.

"And just what are you trying to say? That I don't take good care of the things that are mine," he asked in an innocent tone.

Eric frowned, "I'm not saying anything more, you don't listen to a cabin boy anyways. Now would you mind telling me what my job is or what they are, as you have said I will be busy all day. I wouldn't want to feel ill-used," he said bitterly, knowing that Mr. Bucks would work him as hard as he could because he was that type of man.

"I'm so glad you have finally embraced your position here," Mr. Bucks said with a smile. He turned to smile at Ariel and Triton. They were both putting up a fuss because the two of them were being put in separate tanks. He walked over and smiled, "What's the problem here?"

"You're trying to take my daughter away from me," Triton thundered.

"Well I can't keep the two of you together, you two cause too much trouble together. If I keep you two together then you'll always cause trouble. If you start behaving and doing what you are told without causing trouble, maybe I will consider putting you two back together. Now start behaving and get in your tanks!" The triton glowed and they had no choice but to get in separate tanks. Ariel glared at him and he walked over to her tank, "Something to add my dear Star?"

"Just that you are a horrible man and I HATE you," she said in anger.

He smiled and chuckled, "Aw, well, sticks and stones as they say. Rest up my dear Star, you will be practicing soon for the show and I don't want you tired before you even begin."

Ariel glared at him but there was nothing she could do since he had her father's triton so she just crossed her arms and turned her back on him. He chuckled as he walked away and Ariel sighed, feeling a bit hopeless. However her mood changed as soon as she saw Skuttles flying around the island again. She called out his name and the seagull looked around before landing on the wall of Ariel's tank.

"Skuttles, this is very important, so I need you to pay very close attention, got it," she asked in a slow and quiet voice and he nodded. "I need you to find Eric's men on their ship and lead them to this island to help us. Daddy and I can't do anything as long as he has daddy's triton. Get whatever help you can from the other birds, but you can't get help from the sea creatures this time. Since that bad man has daddy's triton, he can control the creatures of the sea."

Skuttles nodded, "You got it sweetie."

Sabastian sighed, "We're doomed if he is our last hope."

"Quiet," Ariel demanded. "I have faith in you Skuttles. Remember, find Eric's ships and lead his men here and get help from any of the birds you can get help from, can you do that?"

"Lead Eric's men here and get the help of the birds," he asked tilting his head then nodded. "I'm going to get the help of the humans and the birds, got it!"

"Good, now get going before these horrible men see you," Ariel said quickly and urgently. Skuttles nodded and flew away and Ariel sighed.

On the other side of the glass Triton looked at his youngest daughter with a raised eyebrow, "Do you really think he can help us?"

"I believe in him daddy, Skuttles is my friend and I trust that he will do his best to save us, he's always been nice to me and helpful."

Triton sighed, "It's not as if we have a lot of other options, I suppose we just have to trust him."

Bucks came back to their tanks with Ellie at his side, "Alright Miss Star, it's showtime, are you ready to preform?" Ariel huffed in annoyance but Bucks only smiled, "You can come out on your own or I can use the triton to make you come out, it's your choice." Ariel sighed and climbed onto the platform for her and it lifted her out of the water and moved away. Triton watched his daughter with worry but there was little he could do to protect her this time. He tossed the plastic triton they'd given him to the floor in anger and frustration, all he could do was hope this seagull that she placed her faith in would come through.

An hour passed and then Ariel was brought back. Triton looked worried and rushed to the glass wall that separated the two of them. "Ariel, are you okay?"

"I'm fine daddy, I won't let this guy get the best of me," Ariel scowled at Bucks and he smiled back.

"I'm so glad you had fun Star because now it is your father's turn." Bucks turned to Triton with a smile and lifted his triton, "Now King Triton, I want you to go back down and pick up the triton I so kindly gave you and bring it with you to do your show." Triton scowled but with his own triton being used against him, he had no choice but to do as he was told.

"Go with him Sabastian and make sure daddy is okay during the training," Ariel muttered to Sabastian who was hiding in her hair in the tank.

"No Ariel, your faddea told me to watch you and make sure you are safe, that is my job," he replied.

"Yes, but I can't leave this cell, daddy is about to be subjected to Buck's training, he is going to need your support. Please Sabastian, I need you to go with daddy and make sure he is okay!"

Ariel's eyes showed her worry and Sabastian sighed, "You know dat Ellie girl will go light on your fadda," was all he replied before he switched tanks and joined King Triton, hiding in his hair too.

Ariel watched with worry as Bucks ordered her father onto the platform, one thing was sure to her, he was going to pay for all of this once her daddy got his triton back, if he ever did. Ariel looked up at the sky and hoped that Skuttles would do his job right and bring help. Until then they would just have to wait and see what happened next.