Apologies for not posting a thing in a while. Next chapter will be coming shortly after this one. (I hope.) :D
At first, swimming was difficult. It was hard to get used to the feeling of her legs being glued together, and swimming was hard. But, after thrashing around underwater for a while, she got the hang of it, and zoomed along at an incredible pace. She was freer than she had ever been before, delighted by the bubbles and the scarce fish that drifted past. Finally, she mustered up her courage and dove down. As she got deeper, the water got bluer and she looked up at the sun, a greenish glow far above her. Then she saw someone. Far off in the distance, but with a fish's tail and a human's upper body. She powered along, swimming desperately to keep the mystery merperson on in sight. And then she saw it. The city. Every building seemed to be made of gold, and inlaid with precious stones. Everything glittered and colors were abundant. Colorful fish darted in and out of pillars, and golden light streamed from every corner. But the thing that held Ariel captive was the merpeople. They were everywhere, milling about. Tails of every color, and variety screamed for attention. Ariel was captivated as she swam into the city. She stared around, wide eyed and full of wonder. Then she heard trumpet calls. She saw the turning heads, and followed the gazes of those around her and saw him. The one whom she had saved. He was draped in golden silks. It was a procession, to where, she didn't know. The merpeople followed the procession to a golden statue in the middle of the city. It stretched higher than any of the surrounding buildings, and every sea creature ever known was depicted, swimming around two merpeople, a man and woman, who were holding hands. The vast enormity of it shocked Ariel, as she had never seen something so grand on land. The merman swam up between the heads of the two merpeople, and everyone in the crowd fell into a hushed silence. Then he spoke.
"People of Atlantis! I am Eric, the future King of the Sea. My father has ruled for many years, and has decided to pass the throne on to me. I swear on my honor and on my tail that as soon as the crown touches my head, that I will never betray my people, and I will forever do my duty to my people, until its time to pass the crown on. As king, I will do my best to forever serve my people."
His speech went on for much longer and Ariel stared, half in mystic wonder, half in horror that she had saved the life of the future King of the Sea. Then he saw her. His eyes were darting over the crowd as he ended his speech, and they landed on her. He obviously recognized her, as his eyes grew wide and his speech faltered. He finished the speech and was whisked away, processing to the castle. Ariel followed, swimming slightly above everyone else so that she could see him. Finally, the crowd dispersed and Ariel was left all alone staring at the palace. Then she saw a solitary figure dart out from one of the windows and swim away. She, always curious, followed. The figure darted into a cave, concealed by dangling seaweed. She followed and gasped as she entered. It was a grotto, full of beautiful treasures from above the water. Then the mystery merperson turned around. It was the prince.
"What are- wait. You're the human!" He said in alarm.
Ariel waved meekly.
"How did you get here?" He asked, approaching her with menace in his voice. She backed up, cowering against the wall. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed he wouldn't hurt her. A single tear slid down her cheek, made of a silvery substance that acted like water on land acted. The tear slid down to her chin and dripped off, landing on the stone floor of the grotto. He stopped, staring at her with wide eyes. His face softened, and he lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. She tensed, but didn't move other than that.
"I'm sorry." He said. She simply nodded. "What's your name?" He asked. She started to speak, but her voice wouldn't come, and the feeling made her cringe and clutch at her throat. Tears stung her eyes. "You can't speak?" He asked. She nodded. He averted his eyes. "Then it couldn't be you..." He said quietly. She knew she should give up, but her heart reminded her that there was still a chance. "How'd you get here?" He asked. She shrugged. "You've never been here before." He stated, and she nodded.
"So you don't know anyone here?" He guessed.
She nodded.
"No one to take care of you, and you can't speak?" He said, incredulous.
She nodded.
"Well, I'll take care you!" He exclaimed, suddenly like a merry school boy. He grabbed her wrist and eagerly led her out of the grotto. "You can't tell anyone about this... Or, show them this, okay?" He warned. Ariel nodded, and smiled. He led her though the city, showing her beautiful sights and sounds. And then he led her to the palace, where the halls were made of pearl that shimmered in every way. He called for Grenham, his advisor, and an older maid named Maggie. Upon seeing the new arrival, Maggie immediately swooped down on Ariel and pulled her away to be "Made over." Ariel's hair was brushed first, and then braided into an elaborate ponytail. Then Maggie went through a whole trunk load of finery that could never be rivaled on land. They settled on a light pink top with white ruffles along the bottom and long sleeves. Maggie used light pink and white scale paint to paint elaborate designs up the side of Ariel's tail. Then, and only then was she ready to be presented to the prince. She walked in shyly, and he stood(swam into an upright position?) and swam over. He took both her hands into his and looked into her big blue eyes. "You look amazing." He gasped. She blushed, and looked up at him. He gave her a gentle smile and pulled out a chair for her. She carefully sat down and glanced at the food. It didn't look like anything she'd ever eaten before, but by the first bite, she loved it. After dinner, he showed her around the palace. They were out on the terrace, looking out at the sprawling city beneath them when she turned to him and tried to say she loved him. Because of the witch's curse, every time Ariel spoke, her throat constricted, and she couldn't breathe. She ended up coughing and glancing apologetically at the prince.
"Whoa, you okay?" He asked.
She nodded, then mouthed 'name', with an added shrug of her shoulders.
"My name?" He asked.
She nodded again.
"I'm Eric, and who're you?" He asked.
She struggled for a second, before tracing her name in the water. Eric laughed.
"It starts with A?" He guessed.
Ariel nodded eagerly, smiling encouragingly. She carefully traced an R and an I.
"A-R-I..." Continued Eric.
She traced an E and a L and finished with a flourish.
"Ariel?" He asked.
She grabbed both his hands and nodded eagerly. Then, without thinking, she swam into his arms.
Eric looked down at the little mermaid who he held in his arms and thought Ariel, that's a pretty name.
I love this chapter. I don't know why, but this is probably one of my favorites. Don't forget to review!