Melody flopped onto her bed, she had stripped of her dress corset and shoes and now lay sprawled on her bed in nothing but her undergarments. Her hair had finally rebelled and now pins were falling out left and right. Melody didn't want to move, everything hurt! She had never danced so much in her life! Her face hurt from smiling, she was about to throw herself off of the balcony, and then Matthew showed up…

"Knock Knock! Are you still awake Melody?"

Melody mumbled something unintelligible; her face was currently buried in her pillow. Ariel didn't wait for a response though, she never did.

Ariel walked through the door, still dressed in her Ball gown she glided across the floor and sat on the bed next to her daughter.

"So," She began, "How was your night?" Melody turned to her mother with a look on her face that would have sent a lesser person running. But Ariel knew exactly how she felt. She didn't hold it against her.

"I noticed you were spending a lot of time with that young man… what was his name?" Ariel asked. Melody rolled her eyes; she knew her mother ran to Prince Matthew's mother the moment she had seen them walk out together. She probably knew more about Matthew than Melody did.

"He's nice," Melody replied.

"Nice?" Ariel asked totally unconvinced. Melody blushed and giggled.

"Okay, he was really nice," she said, "He's funny and he likes to laugh, he has a personality which is more than I can say for most of the other men I met tonight."

Ariel couldn't argue with that, most of the time it seemed as if people in the world of royalty were like statues and dolls, only speaking the right words at the right time, too perfect to be real.

"So, do you think you would want to see him again?" Ariel prodded. Melody thought about it, she really didn't see any reason not to.

"I suppose so," she replied, "If he wants to see me."

Ariel smiled, she finally had something to work with! She had been waiting a long time for Melody to show interest in one of the young men and now that she had Ariel was bound and determined to make things happen.

"So about that vacation," Melody mentioned trying to change the subject.

Ariel sighed and shook her head, "You kept your end of the deal and I will keep mine, your grandfather will send someone to pick you up in the morning."

"Oh thank you mother!" Melody replied hugging her tight.

"Well you'd better get some sleep," Ariel replied. She hugged her daughter and bid her goodnight. Then she got up and headed for the door. "Oh and Melody," She said stopping, "Please think about it, Matthew is a very nice man."

Melody smiled and nodded her head. She would think about it… in Atlantica!

Everything was dark and cold. Leah couldn't move, her whole body was in shock. If it wasn't for her death grip on the man she would be lost in the depths of the icy water. She felt the man trying to swim to the surface. She instinctively began to kick her legs to try to reach the surface. Her chest was tight and her lungs felt as if they were about to burst! She thought she was going to die. Her grip began to loosen and eventually she couldn't feel him anymore. She couldn't feel anything anymore…

The man gasped for air as his head broke through the surface of the water. Then he took a deep breath and dove back beneath the surface.

Leah floated above the water, she watched as her body drifted down into the depths. She watched as the man dove after her. She floated up into the sky and across the water. In less than a second she was speeding through the air and across the ocean. She traveled all the way to Atlantica; she saw her family sleeping in their beds. Well, most of them, her mother sat in her room staring out the window. She looked like she had been crying! Leah moved towards her mother, she wished she could talk to her. She wanted her mother to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

Leah felt herself being pulled away from her mother and back across the water in an instant she was right back at the castle from which she had just escaped! Before she had time to see what was going on darkness crept into her vision and soon consumed it, she saw images flash before her eyes: a cruel sorcerer with a stick, a giant orb floating in the center of a room, Atlantica completely destroyed and desolate, red eyes, and her family fading away.

Darkness completely enveloped Leah's sight. She gave herself up to it.

The man pulled a still form out of the water; he swam to the boat he had tied up under the cliff in a hole in the side. He hoisted the body into the boat and climbed in after it. He felt for a pulse, pumped and pumped on the body until it choked and gasped for air. He sighed with relief as she breaths became normal and sleep set in. Then he grabbed and ore and began to row away from the cliff and the terrible castle that stood above it, hoping he wasn't spotted.

----------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes, findings, and ramblings----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well here it is! A new chapter! (and you thought I had forgotten!)

This chapter is short I know, but longer chapters are to come I assure you!

I wonder if Ariel realizes that she is turning into her father? I think she does but she doesn't want to admit it.

What do you think of Matthew? Is he worth keeping around? (and just because he's here doesn't mean I've scraped James he might still show up)

Thanks for reading and for all the reviews I've been getting, they really make my day!!!

Keep R&R!!!!