Another update! Sorry about the long wait-I've been super busy lately. School's winding down now, and it seems like every teacher decides it would be the perfect time to start piling up on the homework! Anyway, as always please, please, please review!
Ariel breached the surface not five minutes later. Her breathing was still erratic from her all out sprint. Adrenaline pumping in her ears, she allowed herself a few seconds of rest.
In this short time period, she could feel how the sea breeze gently toyed with her hair. It was a heartwarming experience, something she hadn't had a chance to take in since she was first turned into a human. For just a second, she could feel all her inhibitions go away, and she was a little girl exploring the world around her.
"Stop thinking nonsense, Ariel." She softly berated herself. "You have to find Eric."
Determination rising within the girl, she ignored the complaints from her sore tail and tired body. Her heart rose to her throat as she looked left and right, unsure of where to start off. Suddenly, it seemed like the simple plan to find how Eric was doing was looking a lot more daunting.
Closing her eyes a second, the girl tried to think, retrace her fin-strokes. Now, the last she'd seen of Eric was his tiny figure in a white shirt jumping off the ship that killed the Sea-Witch, right? Yes, that was correct, because the next thing she could remember was the water coming down on her from all sides. If she'd been human, that would have surely killed her, because even as a mermaid she'd had to claw her way to the surface.
The surface! That's right, humans needed air to breathe! So if she was a human who could somehow navigate the water with her legs, and she was exhausted beyond all repair, the only reasonable place to go would be land, wouldn't it? Yes, that made sense!
Only, there was one teensy problem.
Where on land would Eric be?
Huffing in frustration, Ariel opened her eyes. She couldn't remember anything that would have told her where she and Eric had been last night. When one is concerned with trying to stay alive, it's a bit difficult to look around. Even when she'd been all the way up, clutching onto the crown on the Sea-Witch's head, she only had one or two seconds to register what was happening before Eric had told her on the count of three they would jump.
"Where are you Eric?" She wondered aloud, groaning to herself.
Swimming forward, she decided to find a rock. Perhaps if she was elevated higher she'd have a clearer view of the shoreline, and where Eric was. Or if he was still there, of course. A part of her felt panic start arise in her chest, but she pushed it down along with every other feeling. She had to keep her mind straight if she wanted to find him.
Sighing as she reached the rock she had once watched him from, she quickly hoisted herself up. The rising sun proved to be a nuisance, and she had to shade her eyes quickly so that they could adjust to the strong light. It took about a minute before she could see clearly again, and as she was looking straight forward, she did the only thing she could in a moment like this.
She blinked.
Her heart lurched, and suddenly she was gasping, clutching onto the rock so tightly that her knuckles turned white. There was no way it was this easy. Her entire morning had been difficult already, so there was absolutely no way this could be happening. It was far too easy. It had to be a mirage, a trick of the light, something other than what her mind was screaming at her.
And yet, Eric was still there, sprawled out on the sand.
Ariel felt her eyes grow wide, and her fingers grip the rock even tighter than before. Although she kept telling herself to move, to go check to see if he was still…if he was still alive, she couldn't. Her body was numb, and when she saw that he wasn't moving, she felt her heart start to break. Tears prickled in the corners of her eyes.
All of this had been for nothing. She'd risked her life, her kingdom, her family, her friends, everything, and in the end, it mattered not. She'd only succeeded in killing Eric. She wasn't even sure what to do now. She was shattered, she was incomplete, she was always going to be one half short. Her other half had passed alongside her beloved.
Eighteen was an awfully young age to die.
The worst thought out of all this was wasn't even that it was her fault. She knew that it should be, and that she should be weeping because she'd caused all this, but she couldn't. She was cried out already. At this point, the only thing she could do was tremble and think about how the worst thing about this dreadful situation was that she'd never been able to tell him she loved him.
She had to be the worst, most terrible, most dreadful, most pathetic creature that had ever—
Eric twitched in the sand, and then restlessly turned on his side. The surprise that overtook Ariel at that nearly made her lose her balance on the rock.
"Aah!" Ariel found herself crying out suddenly, the only sound she was able to make.
Why was it that in novels heroines always cried out the names of their beloveds when they found them still alive? Ariel could barely get her thoughts in order, let alone speak about how great this was. And oh, this was great.
For all intends and purposes, it seemed that Eric wasn't dead. He wasn't even unconscious, or injured, or anything horrible. No, it was quite the contrary. Eric appeared to be…to be sleeping.
The sigh of relief that escaped Ariel would have made her cry if she could.
From where she was, she had a great view of Eric. She supposed it to be a great coincidence that she'd chosen to come to this rock to try and spot him. However, something deep inside her told the girl it was more than a coincidence. It was love.
Eric looked weary, from what she could tell. It made sense, considering that she felt how he looked. There were a few nasty bruises she could easily spot from this distance, and she knew there were probably more she couldn't see. He wasn't bleeding though, and she considered that a miracle from all that had happened.
Unconsciously, Ariel allowed her gripped fingers to go slack and started to tug at them restlessly. She was battling her inner self on the topic of whether she should go to him or not. Her heart, of course, jumped at the prospect. The more rational side of her refused to even go near.
Her mind had a point though. She was going to be a mermaid the rest of her life; it'd just make the separation from Eric harder if she was able to touch him. Her heart ached at the decision, but…she knew it was the only way.
Staring out at her one, true love, Ariel gave a deep, hopeless sigh.
Her heart went out to him. She'd caused so much pain and anguish. In trying to achieve her dream, she'd lost sight of those who truly cared for her. She'd been willing to sacrifice herself easily for just the chance to get what she wanted, but she hadn't realized how badly her actions reflected on everyone she loved. Especially Eric.
Eric. Before she'd saved him from drowning, before he'd ever looked at her with love in his blue eyes, he'd been completely clueless towards mermaids, sea witches, and overprotective fathers. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve someone who loved him, and then almost killed him. He was far too good for the likes of her.
Perhaps it would have been better if he'd fallen for that princess of whatever-land anyway. At least then he wouldn't be out here after a bad night, turning on his back in his agitated sleep. The very thought of Eric being with steadier, prettier, not-so-danger prone girl made Ariel's shoulders slump miserably.
Even she hated herself in this moment.
Not too far away from Ariel, Triton watched his youngest daughter carefully. It was so rare that he ever saw her this way. Usually Ariel was bursting with life, her tail swishing through the water as she laughed. Now it just looked like someone had sucked out everything that made her so wonderful, and replaced it with a lingering depression.
As any parent knows, seeing one's child hurting is like having that same hurt inside you, only tenfold. As a parent, he was supposed to protect his daughter, make sure such hurt never touched her. After his wife had died, he'd shut himself away emotionally, partly because he did not want to burden his daughters with his agony. Despite what Attina and Ariel thought, he'd only ever wanted to keep them safe.
Ariel's eyes lit up for a fraction of a second, as though an idea bounced behind those inquisitive blue orbs. Then, she blinked and she was back to being morose.
What he would give to know what she was thinking, Triton thought to himself. Then following her gaze, he exchanged a look with Sebastian and would have bet his entire kingdom that he already knew.
"She really does love him, doesn't she, Sebastian?" A sigh came out from his lips before he could put a stop to it. He knew the answer, of course. But somewhere, deep inside him, he was hoping he was wrong.
"Mhm." Sebastian answered, nodding his head slightly and smiling to himself. "Well, it's like I always say, your majesty," He started, quickly stealing a look at the King to make sure he was listening.
"Children got to be free to lead dere own lives." The crustacean finished, crossing his claws and rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
He could remember when the late Queen Athena would read aloud bedtime stories to the princesses. They always followed a familiar pattern, and the Queen always ended her stories with a happily ever after, even if she had to make one up. When he'd questioned the woman about it, she'd looked over at her daughters, smiled enigmatically and said, "The world could always use more dreamers."
Through all of Ariel's crazy adventures that he'd been tangled in, and all the times he'd risked his sanity (not to mention job) for her, he reminded himself of what the Queen had said. Then he'd look over at Ariel, shake his head, smile, and go along.
"You always say that?" Triton asked skeptically, looking down with raised brows at Sebastian. The crab, too deep in his previous thoughts, could only manage a sheepish smile.
The slight amusement the king had at this left when he looked back at his redheaded daughter. Attina's earlier words rang back through his mind. Yes, she was right. Looking now at his Ariel, he knew that she'd never be happy as a simple mermaid.
She desired what Athena had wanted before she'd been forced into an arranged marriage. She wanted adventure, freedom…and the choice to do what she wanted to do with her life.
His wife had passed away eleven years ago, his eldest daughter was wise beyond her years, and his youngest daughter was in love. It seemed that only he, the King of Atlantica, a father to several daughters, and Triton only to himself, was the only one who still remembered waking up in a crowded bed with seven sleepy-eyed little girls and a beautiful wife muttering threats under her breath about what she'd do to him if he so dared to wake the children.
Triton wished he could have traded the entire sea to have just one more moment like that.
But he could not. No, and he would not either, he realized. To do so would take away every other glorious, giggling memory that had lead his baby girl to find her one true love.
"Oh," Triton sighed deeply, hurting, but comforted by the knowledge that his late wife would have been proud of his decision. "Then I guess, there's just one problem left." Triton looked down at Sebastian, as though waiting for his response.
Really though, he wasn't waiting. He knew the script. He knew this story. It was time for him to finally accept what was every father's downfall.
"And what's dat, your majesty?" Sebastian questioned, thrown by the King's statement.
Triton pressed his eyes shut for barely a second as Sebastian spoke, letting loose another sigh. For the briefest of moments, he found himself a younger man.
In his arms was his newest, precious, downy-peach-haired-wrapped-in-a-pink-blanket little baby. Then, the memory shifted, and he was being bombarded by squeals of 'Daddy' as she swam into his arms and clutched onto him as though she hadn't seen him in months, instead of a few hours.
There was another shift now. She was struggling with a difficult math homework problem, he finds himself whispering encouragement, and she finishes this new division problem correctly, beaming at him with that smile. Once again the memory shifts. She's home early from tide-school, crying about the mean nature of teenage girls, and he finds himself grabbing her hand and taking her for a ride in his chariot.
The last memory now. It's the night previous, he hasn't seen her in three days, and after all that's happened, he finds her babbling hysterically. She looks at him, terrified, awaiting an awful punishment and letting her rushed apologies come out before she has time to stream them through her mind. For a second, all he can do is look at her. Then, he gently places the trident down and hugs her so tight that she can't breathe.
In a split-second, all these memories flashed through Triton's mind. He's gone through his daughter's entire life, and yet, only a blink of an eye has passed. The irony is not lost on the king as he grips his trident firmly, forcing himself to steady his voice before speaking.
"How much I'm going to miss her."
Sebastian turned to the King, clearly confused this time as to what he meant, but Triton paid him no mind. Inwardly, he gathered the necessary strength to finally let go of his once peach-haired-pink-blanket baby from the thought that all those wonderful memories he had of his child will one day be Ariel's.
She will be a fantastic mother.
And he knew that he could not wait until that day.
Tilting his trident a certain way, the thing came to life. Its glow proved that its power was ready to be harnessed, as though it didn't even need to rest from all its use the night before. Without anything that would have held him back, Triton let the tip of his trident gently touch the ocean's surface. He watched carefully as the water started to glow gold, making a sort of path as it went straight to Ariel.
Still perched upon her rock, Ariel watched with bated breaths as Eric's body started to wake. This is it, she thought. He was going to see her now, and they'd go from there about what to do. She found herself worrying over every part of their relationship. Her father had summed it up nicely; she was a mermaid, he was a human. How could this work? How would this work?
Suddenly, the girl felt as though the bottom of a starfish had been attached to her tail. She knew the feeling; her tail had fallen asleep. She ignored it however, determined to ride out any uncomfortable feelings for just a few more seconds of seeing Eric. Besides, it always went away after a few minutes.
But the tingling wasn't subsiding. In fact, it was growing by the second. There was this warmth attached to the tingling as well, a warmth that felt oddly…soothing? Like ice on a burn, except, she felt no pain. It was just like the muscles in her tail were relaxing to the point where she wasn't sure if she could even swim anymore.
What in the…?
The mermaid finally forced herself to think about what was going on. She turned her head around, confusion lighting up her features. Her tail was glowing.
Her tail was glowing!
Ariel's jaw dropped, her mouth forming a perfect 'O'. She'd seen this glow before; she knew this type of glow. What if it was the Sea-Witch, come back from the dead? For the fewest of milliseconds, she inhaled and prepared to scream in a panic that rivaled none other. And then rationality kicked in when, from her peripheral vision, she saw a large merman.
She put two and two together, and a smile curled at her lips.
Daddy.
Looking up, Ariel felt her lips widen in excitement. Her father's bittersweet smile confirmed what she had hoped. Without a second thought, Ariel jumped from the rock with a whoop of joy. A second later, her body cut through the water, and the last thing that could be seen was the splash of a foot.
Triton smiled warmly, sadly, and with a bit of a father's guilt as he looked towards the spot where Ariel had just disappeared from. The first time he's up on the surface in eleven years, and he loses someone else he loves. Figures.
Eric groaned to himself, managing to sit up. His head and every other part of his body got a shot of pain at the movement.
"What happened?" The boy muttered, trying hard to soothe the pounding his skull was currently feeling.
Putting his palm to his forehead, he tried to recall what great idea had landed him here on the sand. He looked towards the sea to get his thoughts all together, blinking once or twice at the brightness. The amber waves looked beautiful at this time of day, and the calm sea looked…wait, scratch that, there was something odd about the sea.
A redheaded maiden was slowly coming…out from the sea. His lips curved into a smile before he could stop them. Why was he smiling? Surely this was the oddest thing he'd ever witnessed, a girl literally rising from the sea.
Did he say girl? He meant beautiful young woman. She had on this dress that was…was it sparkling? And it wasn't just any sparkle either; it reminded him of the sparkle the sun had on the sea. Her silhouette beneath it spoke wonders, and the smile on her red lips was enough to melt Eric's heart. Her long red hair was perfectly straight; each strand looking like it had been arranged by an angel.
And amazingly enough, Ariel wasn't wet at all.
Wait, hold on. Eric found his mind started to reel at the familiar name, trying to place it. Ariel…? No, just Ariel, his mind told him. He could remember, hazily a voice whispering the name in his ear. He wasn't even sure why, but somehow, he found himself dying to try and…and…and kiss the girl!
Oh, Ariel!
Ariel was walking towards him, a smile that most definitely rivaled the mystery of Mona Lisa lit upon her face. She stretched out her arms, eyes twinkling and saying more than words could ever tell.
Eric wasted no time jumping up from the sand, though his body complained productively. It was all he could do to hold back a yip of happiness. He ran towards Ariel, no…not just Ariel…his Ariel. Her new feet never touched dry land because Eric reached her in three giant strides.
A giddy laugh erupted from Ariel's throat as she was lifted off the ground by her waist, and twirled her around in the air. Finally, she was placed back onto her feet. She found her arms slowly sliding away from Eric's neck. However, he grabbed her right wrist, keeping her hand steady upon his booming heart.
They both took a conscious step back, relishing the moment. She stood on her tip-toes, blue eyes positively dancing. Eric gave her a cheeky, dimpled smile, as though he was a mischievous little boy. Raising one eyebrow slightly, it was as though Ariel was saying 'Well? What now?'
Suddenly, she felt Eric's warm hand that was on the top of her back – when had he put that there? – gently start to push her towards him. She took quick step, and underneath where her foot fell, was Eric's. For once their respective lives, they did not argue, did not try to change the flow, did not have a smart comment, did not do anything but go along with, well, biology.
It was amazing how Ariel's head tilted just the right way, and how Eric's lips found their mark without any guidance or hesitation. And when they kissed….it was like, floating on a cloud, so far from land, from sea, from everything. There were no more distractions, no deadlines, nothing that could tear them apart. When they kissed, fireworks lit up around them, sparkling prettily.
Nothing could be brighter, though, than the thought of how this was truly worth waiting eighteen and sixteen years for.