Title: Coming After You

Category: Movies – Little Mermaid

Rating: T (light language and torture/violence later on)

Genre: Drama/Romance

Summary: "In three years of marriage, that's the one thing I've never wanted to do." "Why not?" "She's here, and so is my life." "She's not here now." "No, she's not." Eric comes after Ariel, but their fight becomes the least of their problems when he vanishes into thin water.

I own nothing but an overactive imagination.

Thanks for the attention! I've missed that while I've been at school stroking the egos of my fellow filmmakers. full Author's Note at the end, I'll let you get on with it.


Chapter 3: Caution

Stumbling to one of the smoother boulders littering his country's shoreline, Eric yanked out the gem again and examined it for a clue, a hint, anything to tell him what to do. The moon had set, making way for the nearing sunrise. The beach was no longer in cerulean darkness but rather the purples and pinks of a pre-dawn glow.

Eric had long since lost track of how far he'd come, but looking down the coast, his castle and capital were no longer visible. Shaking his weary head, he passed the trinket between his palms and thought as best his sleep-deprived mind could.

"Think of what I desire..."

How could he think of anything else? His speculations on his wife's activity, and her reactions to this ridiculous endeavor were what had kept a hint of a smile on his face, and the life in his tired eyes as he kept searching.

He never had much trouble guessing his wife's opinions (though her mind wandered far wider than his), but when the invariable question of 'what would Ariel say to this' had asked itself, Eric was a bit torn. Ariel's inherited hatred of witches was somewhat offset by her view of the Trident (magic that was used for good by the her father, arguably the greatest man they knew), and the fact that even if it nearly destroyed two kingdoms, her deal had gotten her what she wanted: him.

However, the only conversation that was deemed off-limits was magic and those who used it (with the obvious exception being her father's Trident). so looking to magic to fix their problems might not win him any points in her mind. But he didn't want to win over her mind, he wanted to win back her heart.

If Ariel was anything, she was a romantic, and nothing said romantic like risking yourself at the hands of some witch to run after your wife and apologize to her on her terms in her world.

Eric paused, letting those words sink in. Her world.

He had been offered the chance to go below with her several times, but his instant reply was always no. That knee-jerk reaction was another point that was never discussed, though he knew his wife was hurt by it. This was his world, and he had no desire to leave it and make a fool of himself down below in a form he couldn't like or control.

Well, that was a bit unfair. He didn't know that, but he also didn't risk it. Nearly drowning, twice, last year when he met Ariel had ingrained him with a deep respect for the ocean and a stronger desire to keep his distance from it. He sailed when required, and he spent most evenings either strolling the beach or at least watching it, but he couldn't remember the last time he went swimming.

He wasn't afraid of it. He wasn't. And he wasn't going to let whatever it was keep him from his wife.

Wincing as the first rays of sunrise blinded him over the horizon, Eric raised his hand to block the light, the trinket lighting up like the sun itself as sunlight met the amber stone.

Dropping it reflexively, Eric watched it hit the sand, light fading away once more, and he knelt before it.

'To find it, one simply needs to think of what they desire… and my calling card...'

Cautiously taking her calling card, Eric glanced from it to his wedding ring, a wide golden band with intricate waves carved on one side. The waves of his band were matches to the waves on Ariel's. Two rings connected as one. Two hearts connected as one.

Something sparked behind Eric's eyes as he drew the gem back up to the light.

"Please... give me a chance to fix this."

Rays exploded through amber, bathing the cove and the royal in light and magic as he shut his eyes and begged for someone to answer him.

He didn't wait long.

"I offer you that chance."

Turning back to the empty ocean he'd spent the night staring at, Eric gaped at the Stranger, standing in the ornate doorway to an equally fantastic manor that seemed to melt into the waves, as if ti was made of sea foam.

The Stranger smiled smugly and gestured to the door.

"Are you willing to take it?"

The Stranger repressed the urge to squeal when she heard the prince out on the beach. She had too much on the line here and she did NOT spend weeks befriending and placating Max to trip up now. The inane amount of time it took Eric to figure out the key gave her time to get it together and remember her own priorities.

She needed to prevent that future, and the first step on that long road of rebuilding was planting the seeds in this deal. That said, this deal in and of itself would change more than he realized... and more than she probably realized, too, thinking about it.

Shaking her head as she banished those thoughts and brought her client inside her magnificent home and office, she began the long process that was a magical contract. Keep the cards on the table, keep your voice low enough to suggest authority but light enough to avoid spooking the client. Courtesy and clarity will win you more than drama and deceit.

And begin.

"I trust you found me easily enough?" The Stranger asked casually, avoiding eye contact as she lead him into her parlor. A coffee table separated two plush chaises, adorned with tea and light breakfast fare.

Don't serve anything you're not prepared to eat yourself. Let the client dictate seating arrangements, because if they don't like where they're sitting, they're not gonna like what you're saying either.

"Your calling card is anything but easy." The royal strode past her, but didn't move to take a seat, standing behind the chaise stiffly, on-guard.

Unwilling to let her disappointment show, the Stranger took the opposite seat and began to pour.

"Oh, it is, you just have to know my name. Tea?"

"No thank you. And what name is that, exactly?"

The Stranger sighed, hating this particular bit of it. Her name was just too expensive for him, not if she wanted this to go forward smoothly.

"My rates are associated with the knowledge of my name. If you knew my name, I'd be too expensive for you." She smiled gently and sipped her tea to taste before adding a bit of sugar to it, "Ignorance is bliss, and a severe discount."

"But without you name, how do you expect me to trust you?" Eric leaned on the back of his empty chair and raise a brow expectantly at her, unimpressed.

Drinking deeply before she answered, the witch shrugged and gestured openly. "It's a leap of faith. Of sorts. Are you sure I can't interest you in anything, I know you must be exhausted running around the beach all night."

"I'm fine." Eric shook his head, ignoring a small growl from his stomach as the Stranger drank. "What is your offer?"

Finishing her cup and setting it down, she smiled professionally and readied herself.

Clear. Concise. Compassionate. "Firstly, I have to warn you, I am not like the witch your wife dealt with. I'm not like Ursula."

Eric didn't bat an eye at this, which was more than the Stranger could say, grimacing at the name that crossed her lips. She didn't often hate anyone, much less those of her own kind, but that woman had made living in these kingdoms impossible for anyone else with magic. And she would never forgive her or her family for that.

"I wouldn't be here if you were."

She smiled and clarified, "That's not what I mean. I don't go in for her kind of spells."

"What kind?" Eric finally moved to sit down as the Stranger poured herself another glass. She also poured one for him.

"None of that three days bullshit." Eric stopped, reaching towards the tea but alarmed at the witch's sudden change in tone. "When I cast a spell, I cast something that will last. I can't have my clients turning back at the bottom of the ocean."

Taking the tea, Eric takes a hesitant sip before replying, "That sounds reasonable."

"It is." The Stranger nodded, resting her cup on her knee, "But that comes with a price of its own. My spells will not expire on their own, they have to be broken by something with as much or more power than me."

"Meaning?" Eric gestured for her to go on, setting down his glass half-empty.

The Stranger took a calming breath and continued. She had to make this clearer than the purest glass: this was not a fleeting spell. "You will be stuck like this until you find someone that can change you back, if not your father-in-law then another witch like me."

"You make that sound like a bad thing." Eric nodded his acceptance of the condition, knowing that this was no fleeting matter he'd want a way to back out of. If his returning to human form depended on him making up with Ariel, all the better.

"It's not bad, but it is a thing. It's a big thing." The Stranger confessed, popping a miniature pastry into her mouth, "If you fail to find Atlantica or make up with your wife you may never set foot on land again."

"You're a witch; I may never set foot on land either way."

The Stranger paused, then withdrew her hand without another pastry, appetite crushed by the bite in his remark. Sighing softly, she polished off her tea and rose, charm slipping away from her as she struggled to remain professional.

"I'll forgive your mistrust, as dispelling it would endanger the spell we're truly after. I can get you the form you need to find your wife and apologize. After that, it's up to you to find her and find your way back home."

Rising to follow her, the royal seemed more skeptical than before, "And what am I paying to be left alone in a world I know next to nothing about?"

Small smirk gracing her face, she entered the hallway and made for a set of immaculate quartz stairs. "I've kept the price down by not revealing my name, your starting point, or giving you guidance. My only reward will be taking one of your inhibitions and replacing it with a gift."

"And what gift would that be?" Eric was off-put by her response, having expected this to cost something big, visible, and very dear. But inhibitions were not something to be taken lightly, he supposed.

"If I told you, it'd ruin the surprise. I can give you a hint: it's a defense of sorts that's uniquely suited to this world you know nothing about."

The Stranger descended the stairs gracefully and quietly as to let her client take in the decor and the space in which the deal would take place. The mural staircase - a beautiful mosaic of surface life giving way to ocean life as the couple descended - ended to reveal a hollow, echoing sanctuary of crystal and stone. Morning light filtered in through the crystal, giving the chamber a warmth and life despite the lack of furniture or decor. The room contained three things: a bench near the stairs, an antique book on a large stone alter, and a circular pedestal of rose quartz in the center, the rock intricately carved and sculpted along the natural hues of the rock to engender the sun on the horizon, giving light and life all it touched.

"Do you have any questions?" Coming off the stairs, the Stranger wheeled around to take in her client. His unease had lessened upon his entering the chamber - very good - but misgiving was still in his eyes as his blue met her amber.

"If you endured such burdens to keep the price so low, why would you go to all this trouble?"

The Stranger lessened her smile to a smaller, more candid display. Cards on the table. "I want to change the future I see for the better. Besides, nothing's ever going to change for my kind if we don't try to amend our reputation to the wider world."

"Your kind?" Eric repeated, questioning, as he folded his arms across his broad chest.

"Magic users. We are forced to conceal that which makes us special, unique, powerful. In order to live up to our potential we have to live outside polite society." The Stranger fought and failed to keep the contempt out of her voice. It wasn't contempt for him, but it wouldn't help matters, either. She shook her head to clear her anger and turned to the alter. "But this isn't about me. It's about what the fight you had can change, and what you're willing to do about it."

Eric nodded, waiting patiently as the witch slowly thumbed through the book. As she skimmed, she calmly addressed the royal, "Now, once we start, there's no stopping this, so if you're going to flake out, you better do it now."

Biting his cheek a moment, Eric unfolded his arms and straightened himself up to full height. "Can you promise me something?"

"Perhaps if I knew what that thing was." The Stranger smartly replied, covering her unease. When clients showed resistance this close to showtime, it was almost never good.

"Will my kingdom suffer for me doing this?"

The stranger stopped reading and turned to glance at him over her shoulder, concerned. She hadn't expected him to be thinking about something like that this late into the game, but she would do what she could to assuage that.

Eric, seeing her expression, held his ground, holding out her trinket to her, "That's the one thing I cannot allow."

Walking up to him, the Stranger held up a hand in oath-taking, "I promise, I will do everything in my power to ensure your kingdom does not suffer from or in your absence."

Lowering that hand to him in a handshake, he continued to hold on to the trinket, hand falling to his side. "And what will I owe you for that?"

Shrugging casually, the Stranger teasingly replied, "You'll owe me a drink and an audience once this is all over."

Extending her hand further, the Stranger smiled as Eric took it firmly and they shook curtly. "Fair enough."

"Then let's get started. Leave your boots and socks on the bench; they're just gonna get in the way." She broke the handshake to gesture to the bench before pivoting and continuing to search her book.

Sitting to comply with the request, Eric allowed a bit of honest curiosity to slip in. "Won't my trousers get in the way, too?"

"Actually, no, not with my method. They'll dictate your fin color, but the discomfort stripping you would interfere with the magic far more." The Stranger easily replied, eyes still locked on her texts as she mentally prepared for the ordeal ahead.

"How's this work, then?"

The Stranger quit reading and returned her full attention to her client, "I activate our contract and execute it, giving you nautical form before I flood the chamber and acclimate you to said form."

Eric mouthed her word choice in apprehensive confusion as he worked his outer sock off. Finally yanking the wool piece off, he glanced up at her questioningly, "And that nautical form is a merman, right?"

Sitting to remove her heels, the Stranger nodded affirmatively and began to work at the straps.

"Indeed it is." She glanced up from her shoes after a dawning moment with a playful smirk, "Is there another form you desired?"

She couldn't help the chuckle as the royal instantly shook his head, "No. No, no, that's the form I'd want for this."

"Okay, then." Tossing the wooden heels under the bench with abandon, the Stranger stood and sighed, savoring the feel of cold stone on her freed feet. Turning back as Eric rose to join her, she clapped her hand in realization, "Oh, and lose the shirt, mermen don't wear them."

"Why?" Eric looked down at the comfortable cotton tunic, loathe to leave it with a stranger. Boots came and went, but this shirt was special. It was the most comfortable one he'd ever owned, and besides... it was the shirt he met Ariel in.

The Stranger's reply did little to convince him, "It's not going to do anything but slow you down and tangle you up. Besides, it'd be a white waving banner to any merfolk you saw: hey, look, I'm from the surface!"

"Is it going to interfere with the spell?"

The Stranger shrugged, weighing the options in her hand, "Well, no-"

"Then it stays. I'm traversing half the ocean; I'm not doing it naked."

Hearing the note of finality in his voice, she threw up her hands, "Very well. When you're ready, step on the pedestal and we'll begin."

The Stranger turned back towards the alter to stretch, and also to give her client some privacy if he so desired.

The royal was uneasy as he approached the intricate stonework, but as he gently stepped up, he felt the nagging fears and the paranoia subside as a warmth spread from the pedestal up through his body, calming him unnaturally with its soft glow.

Letting out whatever misgiving with a long breath, Eric nodded to the witch, "Do it."

Smile warm and just slightly triumphant (she couldn't keep it ALL inside - she had too much else to keep in check now), the Stranger turned and held up her hands, a glow rising from them as she locked gleaming eyes with him.

"With the night's end, the day is reborn in my Dawn... And in my Dawn, I call upon the day and night to answer."

The chamber unbalanced, ceiling aglow but the room plunging into star-lit darkness, Eric fought the wonder and astonishment that held him fast on the pedestal, but it was no avail. The stone beneath him lit up with moonlight, and above him a noon sun blazed upon his cheeks.

"Moon, as your light changes the tides, I enlist you to change tails of kings.

Sun, as your brilliance gives life to the world, now give power to my task.

Stars, connectors of all fates, commend him to the deep where everyone sings.

Sky, the keeper of all, protect him with my gift when the situation may ask."

Moonlight and sunlight blended and blinded the royal, stars piercing and binding Eric as the world itself seemed to swim and spin around him. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.

But most of all, he couldn't stand.

His legs gave away, sending him harshly into the scalding stone with a strangled cry. He could feel his body growing unfamiliar. He could feel the changes burning him from the inside out. He could feel his trousers vanishing in the magic, but he could feel the shirt remain, twisting around him to further restrain the panicked sailor.

The Stranger watched the transformation clinically, watching only for anomalies as the wonder of changing the species of another sentient, self-determining being had long since faded. The transformation itself had gone perfectly, and as she felt her gift slip from her to him, she spoke once more.

"My Dawn is complete, and I release you to your place. Night, enjoy your slumber. Day, shine down upon us with kindness."

Darkness faded away to light, revealing her client once more. Eric gasped softly, lungs still burning from their mutation. His shirt stuck to his sweaty, panting torso, falling over his hips before it gave way to an almost metallic navy tail, flecked with gold. As the Stranger came forward to examine that tail, she brushed the tight shirt back and faltered, flash slightly flush as she stared unabashedly.

"Oh, dear."


AN: Sorry it took so long. I wrote the dialogue for this chapter back when I first planned it, but the damn thing's gone missing so I had to rewrite it from scratch. Next chapter will quicker than this, if for no other reason than my protagonist will no longer be fully in-character, so him being a little out of sorts will be permissible while he re-orients himself.

Again, attention fuels the desire to boot up the old desktop and bury myself in writing. See the box, hit the box, love the box.

-Ara