Ariel awoke two nights later with a searing pain in her legs and neck. She was wearing a pink nightgown embedded with small diamond-like crystals and a delicate strand of white lace across the hem.
'What happened,' she thought to herself, confused as she opened her eyes.
Looking all around, she immediately sat up in shock, wondering where she was. Her bright blue eyes widened in alarm the moment she glanced around the room.
She heard the ocean nearby, and a gentle song melting into the currents of the wind from a small, distant instrument. She immediately knew where she was.
'Eric,' she smiled.
Eric heard a fairly loud knock on his door as he stood quiet and still on his balcony, thinking of no other than the little mermaid.
'She's never going to wake up, is she?'
"Forgive me, your highness," a royal guard interrupted, slowly opening his bedroom door. "Sir Grimsby would like a word with you."
"Very well," Eric said solemnly before leaving the room.
The escort was quiet as the sentry continued to lead him down through the many halls and rooms of the palace. The only sound left to be heard was the wind rushing in from the few open windows they passed by.
"Right this way, your grace," the royal guard spoke as he and the prince turned down a dark, narrow hallway.
Within a few moments, the guard quickly opened the near-black scarlet door by the far end of the hall, holding it open for the prince as he walked in.
Eric heard the prickling sounds of many flames nearby, desperately eating away at the wood in the fireplace.
He saw Grimsby sitting very silent by the fire, small puffs of silvery smoke floating through the air from his pipe.
"You wanted to see me, Grim?"
His manservant sighed in exhaustion, lowering his pipe, "She can't stay here any longer, Eric."
A sudden spark of anger immediately lit up inside of the prince.
"...What?" He responded darkly.
"Oh Eric, be reasonable! Look at her!"
"Grim, she's not going anywhere! I've finally found her! This is the girl I said I would marry and I will."
A smug smile formed upon Grim's face, "You cannot marry her, Eric. Princess Amaryllis will be here tomorrow at sunset, and she is who you will marry!"
"No, I will not marry her—wait...what? That's impossible! The last time I was informed it was said that she wouldn't be arriving for many weeks!"
Grim took another slow shot from his pipe, blowing streaks of smoke through the air before finally standing up from his seat and walking calmly over to his desk.
He soon returned, standing in front of the prince with the envelope marked with the blue seal from the Emerald Palace, and held it out to him.
Taking it from his hands, Eric carefully read the letter inside. His heart began shattering more and more with each and every word he looked upon; It seemed as if he was hearing it break inside of him.
And with a sudden twist of an unimaginable anger, he threw the envelope into the fireplace and quickly ran from the room, slamming the door behind him.
Still standing quietly in the room, Grim said nothing as he walked back to his seat and watched the letter slowly burn — he only smiled.
'Hmm,' Ariel hummed, listening to the ocean nearby and smiling as two nightingales sang in the small trees to the left of her balcony. 'I can't believe I actually made it.'
Ariel giggled to herself happily.
'Wait...' she thought, suddenly remembering the transformation.
She sat up in her bed, her blue eyes filling with an elated gleam as she removed the velvet comforter from around her.
'Oh my gosh!' Ariel stared down at her new legs in wonder, ignoring the freshly coated bandages as tears of extreme joy fell from her eyes. 'Has anyone ever seen anything so wonderful in their entire life!'
Squealing internally with excitement, the little mermaid leaned her legs over the side of the bed and slowly placed her feet on the cold floor.
A few mere moments passed before she attempted to stand, smiling so bright.
Stumbling on the first try, she took another step.
A sudden searing pain immediately channeled through her feet, and she was instantly thrown to the floor.
'Wait,' Ariel thought as she touched her left leg in confusion. 'What's happening?'
She tried standing again but was only faced with the same exact pain.
'I don't understand.'
Briefly pondering everything for a few moments, she ultimately remembered what the sea witch had told her: "Once you are human, every single step that you take on land will make you feel as if you are walking on broken glass."
Rejecting the fear of it all, she attempted to walk again. And again. And again.
An hour went by before she ultimately learned to ignore the pain in her legs and feet — still slipping from time to time and occasionally falling to the floor from the pain, but finally able to stand.
Smiling to herself in triumph, she walked over to her balcony and opened the doors, stepping out onto the cold pavement and looking down at the majestic ocean waves below her.
Prince Eric continually paced back and forth outside of his bedroom doors, a hand on the back of his neck in frustration.
Remembering the words on the letter, he took out his small silver flute from his pocket and stared down at the intricate details.
"I can't ever be with her."
With a rush of anger, he wrapped his hand tightly around the flute, quickly walking to the nearest window and watched the instrument fall as he threw it down among the black ocean waves.
Hearing a small sound, Ariel immediately ran from her balcony out of curiosity, struggling with each step she took, and falling before finally reaching the door.
Scrambling back up to her feet, the little mermaid took one last look in the mirror to her right, ruffling her hair in a perfect manner.
And after a few vanishing moments, she placed a small, gentle hand on the door, twisting the handle and eagerly leaving her palace room.
'Eric...' She thought, smiling with tears the moment she caught a fleeting glimpse of him just a few ways away down the dark hallway.